by Hooke, Isaac
“You didn’t let me finish.” He returned his attention to Gwen. “There is no point to living. There never was. Which is why we have to make our own purposes. Master our own fates. We can’t abandon our lives to the whims of doom. If the world sends oraks or other beasts against us, killing those we love most in this life, we can’t give up. We have to live on, and honor their memories, because no one else will do it. Like you said, their memories are forgotten to the world. But not us. Never us. This is why we live, to honor them. We live our lives as best we can, and we never forget them. Not ever.”
Gwen merely stared at him, her chin trembling with emotion; finally she couldn’t take it anymore and looked away.
Abigail reached out, and held her hand. Gwen accepted it.
Malem tried sending a soothing vibe through his link to her, and it seemed to help, somewhat. She was letting him get through to her today, then. That was a good sign. Everyone should accept healing when someone else offered it, no matter the form it took. Yet human pride and arrogance often prevented that acceptance.
He had Spirit following a circular observation pattern far overhead, ranging forward a mile and then behind a similar amount. Because of that, he was the first to spot dark stains emerging from the eaves of the Midweald several miles behind, right where the road met the trees. The stains moved fast, as if at a gallop.
“We have dire wolves on our tail, I think,” Malem said. “They’re not close enough to pick up with my beast sense, but Spirit has spotted them.”
Felipe promptly crawled into his collar and hid inside.
“And you sense nothing ahead?” Abigail asked urgently.
“No,” he said. He surveyed the hilly grassland on either side, which was covered by the occasional copses.
“Those hills could hide a black mage,” Xaxia said. “Waiting in ambush.”
“That, or orak war bands,” Malem said. “My beast sense only extends so far. By the time I detect them, they could be all around us. We’re going to have to move farther away from the road, I’m afraid. We head due west.”
“Traps upon traps,” Abigail said. “This was supposed to be a simple message delivery. Not a fight for our lives.”
“Funny how quickly events can spiral out of control,” Malem said. “Like most of life’s unexpected turns.” He glanced at Gwen. “Are you going to be all right?”
She sniffled loudly, and wiped her eyes. Then she straightened in the saddle. When she looked at him, her face was all fire and fury. “What the fuck are you waiting for? Let’s ride.”
Malem turned west, spurring Bounder that way. The horses followed, continuing to wade through the tall grass.
“It’s her fault,” Xaxia said from the saddle, rounding on Gwen.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “The wolves would have appeared immediately if they spotted her when she stood up. There must be oraks, or other monsters, hidden on a hilltop nearby. They signaled their brethren in the forest, instructing them to release the wolves.”
“But I heard no horns,” Xaxia said.
“There are other ways to signal a war band,” Abigail said. “A mirror, glinting in the sun. That’s probably how we were spotted, in fact. All these shiny pieces of burnished metal on our bridles are great at reflecting sunlight.”
“Why not shoot us with bows, then?” Xaxia asked. “Or magic?”
“Range,” Abigail said. “Just because they can see the glimmer of light from our bridles, doesn’t mean they can actually hit us with anything.”
“Good thing we stayed well away from the road,” Gwen muttered.
Malem began to sense the lead wolves traveling on the outskirts of the approaching pack. They were still silent, he noticed, taking care not to announce their approach.
“They’re closing,” Malem said. “Stealthily.”
“Can she take them?” Xaxia shouted, nodding at the fire mage.
“How many are there in the pack?” Abigail asked.
“I count at least twenty,” Malem replied.
“And you’re sure they’re dire wolves?” Abigail pressed.
His first instinct was to order Spirit to scoot lower for a better look, but he was reluctant to do that: if hidden oraks were watching the sky, they might realize Spirit was his scout and shoot her down with an arrow. She was completely exposed up there, unlike the party below.
So instead he tilted the animal’s head, taking advantage of a peculiarity in hawk vision—which eagles also possessed—in that objects directly in their line of sight appeared magnified. It was what allowed the birds of prey to be such great hunters; that and the inconceivable array of colors their eyes could differentiate, casting everything in brilliant shades.
“They’re big animals,” Malem confirmed. “Definitely dire wolves.”
Abigail shook her head. “Normal wolves I can take easily. Most dire wolves are fairly fire resistant, unfortunately. And while they’re weaker in the day, at full strength I could still probably take down only two or three in the first minute, if I concentrated my attacks. At the same time I could use weaker flames as a diversion to distract at least another five, but that still leaves twelve for you guys.”
Malem nodded. “Bounder can hold his own against one dire wolf, day or night, but the horses are no match. It’s not exactly a balanced fight, is it?”
He continued fleeing westward, and switched to single file when he realized the horses were quickly tiring; Bounder took the lead, trampling the greenery for the following horses.
Via Spirit’s eyes, he realized the wolves had fanned out, forming a long front that traveled through the greenery toward them. The tall grass slowed them slightly, giving the party a slight advantage.
Malem glanced at Abigail, whose horse was directly behind him; she was staring at the grass as if contemplating setting it aflame.
“Unlike the undergrowth in the forest,” he said. “This grass isn’t too dry—there are no trees to suck up all the moisture. Fires will still burn, just not spread.”
“The grass definitely isn’t dry,” Abigail agreed. “In fact, it’s downright damp. The early morning dew is still trapped inside. Which explains why it’s slowing down our horses so badly. Any flames will burn out fairly quickly.”
His beast sense picked up something odd behind him; he glanced at the view from Spirit’s perspective to confirm it. Yes, the dire wolves had clumped together into a single file line themselves, racing down the path trampled by Malem and his party.
Via Spirit’s eyes, he noticed Xaxia standing up in her stirrups behind him and gazing over her shoulder.
“They’re using our trail!” Xaxia said. “And gaining! Clever… but since when do dire wolves have the intelligence of higher level monsters?”
“When they’re guided by a Black Sword,” Abigail said.
“A Black Sword?” Xaxia said. “That’s new! And here I thought it was just oraks and dire wolves hunting us. Though I guess I should’ve figured it out by now. Any message that has the chance of bringing the Metal Dragons into the war on the side of the Alliance is going to attract the attention of Vorgon’s highest generals.”
“Now’s your chance to run away...” Abigail told her.
“Now?” Xaxia said. “I don’t think so. Though I’m sure the rest of you would appreciate the diversion. Too bad I value my life too much. Maybe Gwen wants to do it.”
“Gwen’s going to stay right where she is!” Malem shouted.
He reached out, trying to grab hold of the lead beast. While he was able to wrap his will around it, he couldn’t subdue the creature—it was too strong and eluded him. The next two in line proved just as difficult, and he was tiring himself just trying to Break them.
He paused, and glanced at Abigail behind him. “Target the lead with a fireball. Not a killing blow, if possible. I want to weaken it.”
She twisted her torso and leaned to the side in her saddle, aiming past Xaxia and Gwen behind her. Her forearm lit with flames, and she hu
rled a huge ball of fire along the ground. It cut a path through the grass, hurtling at an angle alongside the trail the party had carved, leaving behind singed tips.
“I said not a killing blow!” Malem said.
“Trust me, it isn’t,” Abigail said.
The fireball burst through the grass and onto the trail just in front of the lead dire wolf, and struck it full in the face.
The dire wolf’s momentum didn’t slow. It continued to run on as the hide surrounding its face and upper body lit up, while its hairless muzzle turned a darker shade of black. It snarled, revealing blackened teeth, and only ran faster. It began barking, and the other wolves took up the call.
“Told you,” Abigail said.
Malem tried to seized control of the creature as the fire died down, leaving behind singed hide, but unfortunately this was one of those creatures who only became mentally fortified when suffering physical damage. He came across them from time to time. What worked best for such beasts was a bleeding wound, because even the most mentally fortified creature would tire as its lifeblood slowly spilled out.
He decided that the party was far enough away from the road to risk Spirit coming in low, so he instructed the hawk to approach. A moment later Spirit swooped down in front of the lead wolf and raked her claws along its muzzle in a blur.
The dire wolf howled in outrage and leaped at the hawk, who narrowly managed to get away from those snapping jaws.
It was bleeding now, at least. As Spirit returned to her previous altitude, he had the bird turn its magnifying gaze on the stricken monster. Unfortunately, the damage she had caused wasn’t good enough.
“Xaxia, do you have any pikes or spears left?” Malem shouted over his shoulder.
“That would be a no,” Xaxia said.
“Abigail, more fireballs,” he said. “Kill it.”
The other option was to bake that particular beast to within an inch of its life, but it would be of no use to Malem in that state. Hopefully the next monster would be better.
Abigail released several fireballs in rapid succession, slamming them into the dire wolf. It yelped in pain, but continued running on. Its speed flagged as red, charred muscles gave way to bones, and it finally collapsed.
The succeeding dire wolves merely leaped over the carcass of their fallen companion.
“Weaken the next wolf in the lead,” Malem instructed her.
Abigail leaned to the side and struck the next wolf; the fireball had the desired demoralizing effect. Perhaps it was because the creature had seen what had happened to the lead wolf, and expected to suffer a similar fate. Perhaps it simply had a weaker mind. Whatever the case, Malem broke it far more easily.
Although the beast was now under his command, he let it continue its rabid pursuit for the moment. He told Abigail: “All right, I want you to hit the ground directly in front of it with a big fireball!”
She stood up on both her stirrups. “Duck!”
She tossed a fireball over the heads of Xaxia and Gwen, and it struck the ground before the lead wolf.
Malem swerved the monster into the foliage immediately alongside, turning away from the burning patch of ground, and trailblazing a new path through the tall grass, one that led south at a slight angle from Malem and the others. The other dire wolves followed in singular pursuit; though Abigail’s flames were quickly dying, the fire was enough to turn the succeeding wolves onto the new path. The tall grass blocked much of their vision, and they wouldn’t realize the first wolf was leading them astray until too late.
At least, that was the hope.
He veered due north, in the opposite direction he was guiding the wolves.
Abigail sent more fireballs bowling toward the wolves, close to the ground, so the creatures would think they were still in pursuit; the burning grass would also mask the scent of the party.
The fire mage ceased launching her flames as the party moved away. The howls faded behind them, until soon Malem couldn’t hear the creatures at all. He was at the very limits of his control by then, and had to release the dire wolf. Eventually the dire wolves would realize what happened and backtrack. If necessary, he would take control of the leader and send them astray again—Breaking a previously broken beast was far easier on subsequent attempts.
He continued onward at a speed the horses could barely match, and after five minutes, when even Bounder’s flanks were steeped in perspiration, he raised a fist.
“Slow down,” Malem said. “And spread out.”
The party switched to a more manageable pace, and continued advancing through the grassland, riding in the hollows between hills. Malem kept an eye on the copses he saw, worried about ambushes.
“And so we avoid direct confrontation with those beasts yet again,” Xaxia said.
“For now,” Abigail said. “At least we’re heading north, in the same direction as Fallow Gate and the mountains beyond. If a little offset to the west.”
“So we stick to the grassland?” Gwen asked.
“We have to,” Malem replied. “While the road might be slightly faster, it seems obvious by now that ambushes await all along the route. Not worth it.”
“No,” Abigail agreed. “But there could be ambushes in the countryside, too. They know we don’t always follow the main road by now.”
“True,” Malem said. “We’ll have to be on our guard. But first, let’s get rid of anything that might potentially broadcast our position. Because what Abigail mentioned earlier is all too correct: burnished metal and stealth don’t get along.”
He dismounted and used the spare blanket strips to cover the metal portions of his saddle. Felipe peeked out from his collar nervously, wondering what was going on. The others followed Malem’s lead, though they had to contend with bridles as well. Except for Gwen, who still rode Neeme without a saddle or bridle.
“We should have done this earlier,” Xaxia said.
“I know,” Malem said. “Slipped my mind.”
“Mine too,” she commented. She glanced at Gwen. “How do you steer your animal without a bridle?”
Gwen gave her a condescending smile. “Magic.”
“Fine, don’t tell me,” Xaxia commented, looking away.
“I do it the same way our Breaker does his iguanid,” Gwen finally told her.
“What, with your mind?” Xaxia said.
Gwen shook her head. “No, silly. It’s all in the knees.”
“Ah.”
When all external pieces of metal on their mounts were properly protected from the position-revealing effects of sunlight, the party members remounted and continued northward. Felipe remained cuddled in Malem’s collar, coming out only to pee.
The grass soon became shorter, allowing for easier passage. It also meant it would be easier for any watchers to espy them from afar, which is why Malem chose a path that wound between the hills, using them for cover.
“What’s with the grass?” Gwen asked.
“Foragers feed here,” Malem replied. “Emus mostly. Maybe you’ll spot some in the distance if you’re lucky.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an emu,” Gwen said.
“Look in the mirror?” Xaxia said, breaking into a sudden snicker. “Sorry, sorry, couldn’t help it. You’re beautiful.”
“Yeah, that’s right, and don’t you forget it,” Gwen said.
“Your bandit friend is like a man in a woman’s body,” Abigail said. “Easy on the eyes, but rough on the ears.”
“Not much different than most women,” Malem quipped.
Abigail folded her arms and gave him that “hmph" expression.
It wasn’t long before he detected oraks ahead. He raised a fist, halting the party.
“We have a problem,” he said.
22
“This way, quickly!” Malem said. He veered to the left, moving behind three isolated oak trees along with the rest of the party.
“What is it?” Abigail asked from behind him.
“Got oraks lur
king on the hilltop ahead,” Malem explained to the party members. “See that copse?” He leaned past his cover and pointed out the thick cluster of pine trees that grew upon the distant hill. It was so far away that the trees looked like a small growth of green fuzz on the upper surface of the hill at this range. “They’re using it for cover.”
Abigail peered past one of the trees and squinted. “You spotted them with your bird?”
“Hawk,” Malem told her.
She frowned. “What?”
“It’s a hawk, not a bird. And no... they’ve done a good job of hiding in the copse. If I didn’t have my beast sense I’d have no idea they were there.”
“We’re going to have to go around them,” Abigail said.
“Obviously,” Xaxia said.
Gwen had an eager glint in her eye. “Actually, I’d prefer it if we go through them.”
“Um, no thanks,” Xaxia said. “What if they happen to have one of those black mages of theirs? Or more than one?”
“Malem can take control of them,” Gwen said.
He smiled. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but it’s not as easy as that. If you’ve been paying attention, you know I need to physically subdue these bastards before I can control them. They’re not like horses.”
“I know that,” Gwen said. “Obviously I meant we’d break the mage’s face first, and then you’d take him.”
“Break the mage’s face.” Xaxia shook her head. “The way you rustics talk is so ridiculous sometimes.”
Malem answered Gwen’s original comment. “Too risky. I know you want to kill oraks, but there’s a time for killing, and a time for running.”
Gwen folded her arms underneath her breast. “The latter is certainly something you’re good at.”
“We’ll all be good at it before this journey is done, if I have my way,” he commented, his voice coming off a little harsher than intended.
“How can we be sure they haven’t spotted us already?” Abigail asked.
“They’d be charging us already if they had,” he told her. “Even so, there’s a good chance they have spyglasses or other surveilling equipment. Maybe some kind of far-sighting magic. We’ll have to be quick when we leave these trees, and hurry to that hill over there.” He nodded toward the closest hill that would shield them from the distant copse. “Ready?”