“I hope you have some new ideas?”
Yusar realized he was still rolling the ring around in his pocket and quickly pulled his hand out of his robe.
“Yes,” he replied. “Reward. We have tried everything else, so I think we should try stimulating the human side of the hand. Humans tend to respond to reward more than punishment, so that should be our next step.”
Drask looked at Yusar as if he was waiting for the ending to a bad joke.
“That’s it? That’s your idea?”
Yusar held his chin up. “Yes. I believe you should start thinking of the hand as a part of your body.”
The demon scoffed.
“Prince, please just try this. We have exhausted every other avenue. I truly believe pleasure might work. Have one of your cohorts perform hand massages. Apply balms to smooth and treat the skin. And, all the while, you need to close your eyes and just accept the hand.”
As the many hours passed, Yusar had fallen asleep a few times already. The uppermost study of the tower had no windows, so he had no idea what time it was. Drask had tried to abandon the exercise several times, but Yusar had insisted he stick with it. The demon prince was using his spare hand to study the maps he had acquired and to take in notes from one of Sirash’s messengers.
Yusar had thoughts of sneaking out to contact the young man again for more information. The sound of breaking glass snapped him out of his sleep-like state. Yusar looked over to see Drask staring at the human hand, his face one of confusion and surprise.
“Own it!’ Yusar said with an encouraging voice. “That is your hand to command. Accept and own it!”
Drask looked at Yusar. The wizard smiled and thought about repeating something Drask had said long ago about dumb wide-eyed looks humans give, but held his tongue.
“My hand,” Drask said.
“Think about everything you want to accomplish with your new hand and the satisfaction you will have once the feeling returns.”
Drask smiled and reached out, roughly grabbing the face of the succubus who was massaging his hand. She squirmed and tried to pull back from his grip. He ran the palm of his hand across her neck and down to her chest. “My hand,” Drask softly said. “My surprisingly amazing human general Yusar, thank you for your assistance. Now get out. I have much work to do.”
Yusar’s smile was stripped away as he gathered his things. He closed the door behind him and stood in the hallway with his back to the wall. A moment later, the succubus was rushed out of the room and Drask flashed his familiar smile to Yusar as he closed and locked the door. Yusar could only imagine what Drask planned to do now that he had what he had wanted for so long.
Drask threw everything on the floor to get the book he had been keeping tucked away. As he removed the smooth leather bag from a pile of papers, he smiled with a child-like glee. He could feel the leather; the smooth satin texture rolled across his fingertips and sent chills up his spine. He began to release the straps on top of the bag, but the sound of fast approaching footsteps stopped him. He released the bag and scattered papers to cover it up. The heavy paper was still settling when his door was thrown open. He spun around to see Sirash and Yusar standing outside in the hallway.
“We have a problem,” said Arihem’s voice.
Lar joined the group on top of the tower and looked at the humans down below.
“I’m not surprised they slipped by our scouts, but they are right on time.?” Drask asked with a hint of arrogance in his voice.
“The scouts are unaccounted for. They do have at least two wizards in the group.”
A hard look at the interlopers made it clear no one was without battle experience. The small band of humans were all on horseback, just beyond the wood clearing. They coolly regarded the mass of demon and gnoll workers. Most of the gnolls retreated , but the demons held their ground. A large man on an armored horse gave a hand signal and an arrow with a white flag landed a few strides away from the main gate. Demon, gnoll, and orc alike growled and issued taunts to the group.
“Arihem, get down there and keep them at bay.”
Arihem spread his wings and dove off the balcony, stirring the air and rustling the robes of his companions.
“Sirash, have your underlings keep our forces out of sight. The less they know of our numbers, the better.” Sirash nodded and moved off quickly.
“Lar,” Drask said, turning to regard the massive armored gnoll.
He smiled and patted him on his pauldron. “Follow me, and stay calm, no matter what.”
Yusar squinted in recognition. “Temo is down there.”
“I can see that. I want you to be invisible, come down, and get close enough to where you can recognize faces.”
Yusar nodded and followed Lar and Drask off the balcony.
Nearly all the workers had vanished from sight by the time Drask and Lar exited the tower, thanks to Arihem. Drask had taken a moment to don his best armor and dressed it up with a fitted cloak, crown, and staff. He wore no weapons openly, but they were there. He regarded Lar with displeasure. The gnoll didn’t worry about his appearance in the least and carried his weapon in hand, but the result was intimidating. The two walked out, through the construction site and on to the open ground.
The battle mage Temo was in front of the group with two others. The large man who gave the order for the white flag guided his horse a few steps ahead of the group. Drask kept a calm demeanor, but his smile could not help but show when he caught the eyes of a female sorceress in the group. He took his time and made eye contact with each member of the group, ending with the leader. The two stood in silence, studying each other’s eyes.
“You are the master here?” the large man asked.
Drask gave a slight bow. “I am, indeed. Would you and your party like to come inside and have some rest? We have room to accommodate all of you.”
Temo rode beside the other man.
“Oh, Temo, is that you? Well, he should have been able to tell you, sir…” He let the words linger in the air before the man answered.
“General Arctus Emanu.”
“General Arctus Emanu, my friend Temo knows I am the master here. He sold me the tower. Isn’t that right?”
Temo kept a straight face and stared at Drask, ignoring the baited question.
“I have told you my name, devil. Now tell me yours,” Arctus said.
“Hmm. That didn’t sound like you were asking, General. What is in a name? You can be General and you can call me King.” Arctus’s second-in-command rode up to the other side of him, his hands on his two swords.
“And what is your name, beast?” the man called out. “Or did your bitch mother even bother to give a mutt like you a name?”
“My mother loved me and named me just as yours did, human. I am Lar. And I would ask you show more respect when addressing me.”
The man reeled in his saddle, discomforted and surprised. He looked at Drask and then Lar, not knowing what to say.
“I already have a king, demon. Your name does not matter. Your intentions, on the other hand, are very important. What are you doing here?”
Drask lost his smile and looked at the group with cold eyes. “Here? You come to my land and ask me what I’m doing here? Did I miss something? This land was unclaimed. It is in the middle of a place you label uninhabitable I like this place just fine, so I set my tower here and invited some friends to come stay with me. A courtesy your kind has never showed them. My intentions are to live here, in peace. Are we done here?”
Arctus kept a calm face as he looked at Temo then back to Drask and asked, “Was the captivity of Temo and the murder of the mercenary named Jora part of your peaceful living?”
Drask shrugged. “Defense. They came and attacked me. Temo looks fine now. Jora was insane and could not be persuaded to leave.”
Temo’s grip crinkled the leather straps of his reigns. “Lies,” he said quietly. “I think you should come back with us. We can talk about the rights to this land,
your tower, Jora, and a few other interesting things.”
Several of the men began to dismount when Drask had a burst of laughter that stopped them.
“Please, gentlemen. Do not get off your horses. I welcomed you into my home and you rejected my hospitality. It is apparent that my intentions are not the problem here. You are not welcome here if you do not come in peace. And I would gladly come with you, but I do not believe my friends would like it if I left.”
Drask gestured to the host of demons, gnolls, and a giant waited close to the entrance of the encampment. A large demon with massive wings twirled the arrow with the white flag between his fingers, flipping it over his knuckles. Drask turned back and smiled at his guests.
“We are done. Leave us alone, and we will do the same. When you want to be civilized, come back and we can talk.”
As Drask and Lar turned and began walking away, Arctus spoke.
“I think you are here for something else.”
“What you think is irrelevant.”
“What do you want to do?” a wizard asked Temo.
“Dying here today won’t help anything,” the mercenary said. “Our cards are on the table. He knows he is not hidden anymore. I don’t believe he will try anything as we leave this area, but we should still make haste.”
The general nodded and the party rode from the clearing. They were not far into the forest when elves dropped out of the trees before them. General Arctus rode forward. A tall, lean elf in deep green armor strode forward as he spoke in a soft voice.
“We should talk.”
Jerib sat at the edge of the creek, smoking his pipe. Since the interaction with Yusar, everyone was in a somber mood. They all laid their thoughts out, but no one could come to an agreement on the next course of action. Val sat in the cool damp grass next to him and watched the small minnows dance around each other in the water. “You know, in the end, it's your choice,” Jerib said as he toked his pipe and let the smoke drift out of his mouth.
“I don’t know what to do. You all know more about this than I do.”
“Switching hands with a demon, fighting three-headed dogs, and magical rings? We know just as little as you do, my boy. But I know you have good friends.”
Jerib looked out at Asher crafting new arrows out of branches next to the barn, and at Rylan and Daria on top of the barn, playing with one of the squirrels that had joined them. Val smiled, thinking there would be more than a few broken hearts, if they ever did make it back home. He looked over the water and hung his head low as he thought about his simple life and his uncle.
Jerib placed his hand on Val’s shoulder. “Life never really turns out how we think it will, does it?” Val didn’t look up, but watched the minnows dance, and waited for the moment to pass.
“I’ve been removing the binding on my hand at night,” Val told everyone later that evening. “Now that I have all the feeling in the hand, I believe it won’t try to harm me again. It’s almost like we have come to an agreement.” The crickets outside the window played their nightly tune.
“I also believe that we should leave Jerib’s peaceful dale and travel on. We have already tainted this place with enough blood for a lifetime. I cannot lose my sister again, but I also don’t want her in harm’s way. For that same reason, I would also ask for Rylan and Asher to part ways with us.”
Rylan started shaking his head.
“But it’s also obvious that Rylan is in love with me and would be heartbroken to leave my side.”
Daria smiled at her brother then looked back to Rylan as the man blushed and grinned ear to ear.
“I’ve grown rather fond of your sister, to be honest.” Asher said. Rylan’s eyes went wide and he chucked a wooden spoon at his laughing brother. The group all had a good laugh, and then Val continued.
“Jerib, I thank you for everything you have done for us. But, in the morning we will leave you back to your peaceful life. I really envy you. You were right when you said life doesn’t go like we plan, but I can only hope to be as lucky as you and end up in a place like this.”
The next morning they packed up, Jerib gave everything he could for their travels.
“I think there is more to this,” he said. He walked into his cabin and grabbed a pack he had prepared. Val gave him an odd look as the man went and got Gabby saddled up in the barn.
As he came out riding, Rylan finally asked, “Did you decide to come with us?”
Jerib chuckled and patted Gabby on the neck. “What, and get us both killed? No, I think I would only hold you back. I still have a few powerful friends out there and I am going to go look into this Drask. As I said, I think there is more to this and people should know. One other thing before we part Val: be careful with that ring. The wizard on the other side might not be the helpless captive he wants you to believe he is. If I find anything out, I will come find you all.” With that, he smiled and started off in a different direction.
“He is going to find us?” Rylan asked. Daria shrugged.
“How will you find us, old man?” Rylan called out to Jerib’s back.
“Magic, my boy! Magic!”
Val laughed as he recalled Jerib telling him the exact same thing once before.
“Well, Val, where should we go?” Asher asked.
Val looked at his sister and answered. “Home. Let's pay our respects to our uncle. After that, I don’t know. I guess we will just figure it out.”
As the group left the peaceful scene in the woods, the many shy creatures came out and started to make their way back toward Jerib’s cabin.
Drask’s hand shook in excitement as he returned to his room to gather his book. As he opened the door, he knew something was off. The papers were still in disarray, just not like he had left them. His bag was opened slightly and there were fresh burn marks across the floor in front of it. Drask heard Arihem approach and waved him into the room as he closed the door.
“Apparently, my brothers managed to put a spy among us,” Drask chuckled as he approached the bag and removed the book.
“You had the bag warded?” Arihem asked.
“Something like that.” He carefully placed it on the table and spoke in a hushed tone, as if the book was sensitive to sound. “We must be very careful from this point on, Arihem. I need to read this book, undisturbed, and read it again after that.”
He opened the book to the first page and smiled at the seemingly empty pages that welcomed him. He ran his fingers across the edge of the page and then to the top left corner. He held his breath as he grazed the page, feeling for embossing. As his finger dipped to the first letter, he let out his breath and smiled. All his work would not be in vain. He would get his kingdom in the sun and bind his existence in the plane of man.
“I do not want to be disturbed.”
The door opened. “About the humans: what do you want done?”
Drask waved his hand in the air to dismiss the question. “They are slow. They will have to report back. Then they will talk and have meetings, and in the end, they won’t know what to do. Have our construction focused on the outermost defenses. Double our scouts, and find the missing ones. Have Sirash summon them if need be. I need to read this book and bring this plan to the next step.” Drask continued to caress the page, his frustration swept away.
Val, Daria, Rylan, and Asher had been on the road for some time. They took it slow and covered little ground in the first few days because Rylan was still gathering his strength. They stopped in a shaded spot near the road and gave him another break.
“What do you think your friends and family will say when you come back in one piece?” Asher asked.
“Pent was the only family we had, and our uncle was a hard man to get along with, so he didn’t make many friends. But the few we've made over the years will be happy to see us back,” Daria replied.
“We haven’t talked about what we're going to do after we get you back to normal,” Daria said to Val. He picked up a stick and starting digging into
the dirt.
“You mean if I ever get back to normal,” he said.
Daria looked at Rylan and Asher. The two men were going through their packs and setting up for the night, trying to stay out of the conversation. She scooted next to her brother and put her arm around him.
“Hey, It's not like we have to get caught up in this demon’s plans. We can just throw that ring in the fire, say our goodbyes to the village, and run far enough away to where he won’t be able to find us.”
“We won’t be able to outrun this problem. Without Uncle Pent looking over our shoulder, I agree we can finally go out and see the world like you always wanted. But first, I need to be able to remove you from danger. This demon needs my hand; it’s obvious he isn’t done with me. That Cerberus may have just been the beginning.”
Rylan sat next to Val as he placed a few skewers of meat over the fire. “As long as we stay together, we'll be okay. We don’t have anything holding us here and I have wanted to see more of the world. There will always be adventure, demon hand or dragon.”
Asher chimed in. “As long as we don’t have to fight any spiders, right?”
“Well…yeah,” Rylan slowly said.
Val put his arm around the man and jostled him a few times. “That has got to be the first time I’ve seen you at a loss for words, Rylan.”
“If it came to it, I would fight any spider for you guys.” He looked sincerely into Val and Daria’s eyes, then looked over to Asher, who was squatting near the fire, his face was illuminated by the flickering light.
“As would I,” he swore.
“I really am lucky to have stumbled into you guys,” Val said.
Rylan rolled his head back and let out a deep breath. “That reminds me! We never did tell Daria about the first time we met! Val here was going to take down a massive boar with a kitchen knife.” He ribbed Val, who laughed.
“Oh, no. It sounds like you remember it better than me. Why don’t you tell the story?”
Fate's Hand Page 17