by Eric Vall
The men exchanged frightened glances. “Look, if you let us go, we--” the taller man began.
“Hey, keep your mouth shut,” Rana hissed, and the man immediately clamped his mouth closed.
“I think that’s a good idea.” I nodded to Rana. “Except for the part about killing them.” When I said this, the thin man’s shoulders relaxed a bit. “Remember, we can only kill two of them today. If we kill them now that means we can’t kill Luke… unless you want to fight this dungeon’s deity?”
“Ugh, I forgot about that.” Rana groaned. “So what do we do with these two morons?” she said as she sneered at the shorter man.
“Leave them with me,” I said to the fox. “You go wake up the others and bring them back here along with some rope.” The men stiffened once more at the sound of that.
“Alright.” Rana nodded. “Don’t go getting any bright ideas,” she whispered maliciously to the more muscular Barden brother. “There are still two swords pointed at you guys, don’t think that they won’t be used.” She poked her captive’s throat once more to emphasize her point.
The man gulped as Rana backed away from him slowly. Once she had moved back several feet from us, she gave me another nod before she ran off into the trees. The larger brother gasped as the sword that had been aimed at his stomach suddenly moved upward to point at his throat. The other floating weapon moved around and pressed its point into the dark-haired man’s back. He made no move to try to escape. The Barden brother’s hands trembled, and he struggled to steady his breathing as his face began to perspire. He knew that any attempt to escape or attack would prove to be costly.
“H-hey, we can w-work something out,” the lanky brother said with a shiver. “Y-you don’t have to h-hang us.”
“Quiet,” I said fiercely, and the man whimpered and grew silent once more. I knew just what I wanted to do with them, and I would tolerate no negotiations. Within a few minutes, Rana returned with the others.
“Wow,” Carmedy said as she walked around to observe the prisoners. “So you really did catch two of them.”
“Told you,” Rana said with a self-satisfied grin. “It was too easy, so it almost wasn’t any fun.”
“Annalíse and Morrigan, grab those two swords.” I nodded to the weapons that hovered threateningly at the shorter Barden’s neck and back.
Morrigan took the sword that was pointed at the brawny man’s throat, and Annalíse grasped the other.
“Annalíse, you keep an eye on this one,” I instructed the freckled woman, and she moved to point the weapon at the tall man’s delicate throat skin. “If either of you move in the slightest, you won’t live to regret it. Rana, did you bring the rope?”
“Got it right here.” Rana walked toward me and held up the item in question.
“Both of you, lie on the ground face down,” I said to the two brothers, and then I turned to the fox-girl with the rope. “Rana, tie up their feet and hands.”
“Can you just do your body-frozen spell again?” Annalíse asked as her eyes glanced at me.
“I could,” I said, “but then I would not be able to inspect Rana’s rope tying abilities. There is still things for my minions to learn. Rana, if you will?”
“You got it, demon man,” Rana said with a quick salute.
“Hold on,” the shorter Barden pleaded. “Can’t you--”
“Now, what did I tell you guys before?” Rana interrupted the man angrily. “Keep your mouth shut.”
The man bit his lip and made a soft groaning sound. Both of the men slowly sank to their knees and rolled onto their bellies. Morrigan and Annalíse kept their swords aimed at them while Rana tied them up. She bound them in such a way that their hands were fastened to their feet, their arms pulled back behind them, and their legs bent upwards in a position that was as humiliating as it was uncomfortable. When she was finished, she tied some of the other bits across their open mouths to silence them.
“Now what do we do with them?” Rana asked excitedly. “Are we going to string them up?” The men grunted and groaned in protest and shook their heads.
“In a manner of speaking, yes.” I nodded.
Without further explanation, I commanded my shadow slaves once more. My unseen forces took the remaining pieces of rope from Rana’s hand, and the fox jumped in surprise. The women watched with their mouths agape as the men’s bodies suddenly rose from the ground and began to float upward toward two nearby trees. The men’s frightened shrieks were muted, and tears started to spill from their eyes, but none of us had any sympathy for them. The men’s frames rose until they each hung beneath a tree branch that was about fifteen yards from the ground. The coils of rope that hovered beside them began to wrap around the men’s bodies and swiftly tied them to the branches so that they dangled precariously over the forest floor.
The men’s shouts were muffled by the bits of rope as they swayed back and forth from their branches like ornaments.
“Now that’s what I call style.” Rana held her sides and burst into laughter.
“Agreed,” Morrigan said as she turned her dark eyes to me, and for half a moment, I could see the lust on her face, but then her visage flickered back to her usual blank expression.
“Alright, now let's go catch those Barden creeps with their pants down,” the fox said as she rubbed her paws together excitedly.
“Why would their pants be down?” Carmedy cocked her head to one side. “Are they all going to the bathroom?”
“No, Carmedy,” Rana groaned. “It’s just an expression. It means we’re going to catch them unawares.”
“Ohh, I get it.” The cat nodded her head.
“Morrigan, can you send Fea and Macha to scout ahead? Those two men came from this direction so have them cover that area.” I gestured from the place the Bardens had come from.
“Understood,” Morrigan said calmly. The elf’s winged pets immediately leapt from her shoulders and flew into the sky as her eyes began to turn black. The white-haired woman stood quietly for a few minutes and then began to move forward. “This way. They are not far. It should take no more than half an hour to reach them if we move swiftly.”
This was perfect. With any luck, we would be able to reach the enemy camp and strike before the Barden’s grew suspicious over their brothers’ prolonged absence.
The rest of us followed her without any further discussion, and we set out to find Luke and the rest of his brothers.
“I can’t wait to see the look on Luke’s ugly face,” Rana snickered as we navigated our way through the trees. “He’s in for quite a surprise.”
“Everyone, remember, we can only kill two of them,” I whispered as I curved around a large rock. “So don’t kill any of them unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“I know, I know.” Rana rolled her eyes. “Our first priority is to get enough points.”
“Precisely.” I nodded.
“And after that, then we can kill him?” Rana wiggled her eyebrows.
“Absolutely,” I said with a somewhat sinister smile. I found the fox’s thirst for blood and revenge exciting.
Morrigan had been correct in her estimation, and it took us about half an hour before we reached our destination. Fea and Macha silently flapped down to return to Morrigan’s shoulders as the five of us crouched behind a group of large bushes that was about forty yards from the Barden’s camp. I shook my head in disgust as Luke and the twins lounged about feasting on meat and bread. They were so confident in their invulnerability that they hadn’t posted any guards to watch the surrounding area. The band of brothers was that certain that the men they had sent to attack us would be successful.
They had no idea how wrong they were.
“Minions, now is your chance to come up with an excellent plan of attack,” I said as I glanced at the four women.
“I, um, I think I have an idea,” Annalíse said clumsily. The rest of us turned to look at the freckled woman in surprise. “I know, I know I made a big mess of thing
s before.” Annalíse put her hands in the air. “I was reckless, and I should have listened to you all, and once again I apologize.”
“That’s okay,” Carmedy said with a big smile. “Everyone one makes mistakes. What is important is that we still love each other.”
“And that we are still alive.” Rana laughed.
“Thanks to Master,” Morrigan stated, and they all looked at me once more.
“Annalíse, this is a chance to redeem yourself,” I said. “Please continue.”
The swordswoman nodded, and her face turned a bit red. “I know that I haven’t exactly given you a reason to listen to my plan, but please at least hear what I have to say. If you all think it’s not a good plan, then I promise not to insist on it.”
The rest of us exchanged glances and then nodded.
“Alright then,” Rana said with a wry grin. “Let’s see what ya got.”
“Right,” Annalíse said with a small smile. “I’ve been thinking about what to do on our way over here, and I finally came up with something. I think the best way to go about this is to separate them.”
“How do we do that?” Carmedy asked in a hushed voice.
“With some finely crafted illusions,” Annalíse said as she turned to face me. “Do you think you create some copies of the men that we tied up?”
“Of course,” I said as a smile spread across my lips. I was starting to see where Annalíse was going with this, and I had to admit I was impressed so far. She already seemed to be learning from her mistakes and thus, improving her skills.
“Excellent. Here’s what I’m thinking,” the tall woman continued as she glanced at each of us. “Carmedy, I need you to throw one of your smoke bomb type potions to cause some confusion. Then he’s going to create illusions of those two idiots we captured and use them to lure away the twins.” Annalíse nodded to me.
“Once they’re taken care of, Morrigan you can use your dark magic to detain one of them long enough for Carmedy to steal their token. Rana, you and I will take care of the other one. Then you can handle Luke.”
“Wait, who is taking care of Luke?” Rana asked.
“Uhh, him,” Annalíse said as she nodded to me. “Master.” Her cheeks turned bright red as soon as she said my name, and her eyes drifted back down to the ground.
“Now you are calling him master, too?” Rana sighed.
“He did save our lives,” the brunette warrior said as she cleared her throat and glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.
“He saved our lives lots of times!” Carmedy giggled softly and clapped her paws together. “He’s the best master I’ve ever had. Well, he’s the only one, but that’s okay. I don’t need anymore since our master is the best master.”
“So, what do you think of my plan?” The human warrior looked around the group with a wince as though in preparation of criticisms.
“That is... an uncharacteristically well thought out plan, Annalíse,” Morrigan said slowly. “You have my approval.” The elf bowed her head slightly.
“O-oh thank you,” Annalíse stammered.
“It sounds good to me,” Carmedy said with a grin.
“Yes, very well done.” I nodded. I was pleased with the progress that Annalíse had made. Morrigan was right, the human’s strategy was uncharacteristically well thought out and clever. It used everyone’s strengths against our opponents and had a wide margin of safety. It was a stark contrast to her previous plans.
“Rana, what do you think?” I turned to the fox who had yet to give her verdict.
The redhead was quiet for a moment. Then she bit her lip and folded her arms as her tail swished behind her.
“I think… it’s a great idea,” she said with a sly grin aimed at Annalíse. The freckled woman smiled a bit and released a small sigh of relief. “I do have one suggestion though, just to polish it up a bit.”
“What’s that?” Annalíse said curiously.
“I think Mr. Magic over here should try to lure the twins away one at a time,” Rana said. “They’ll be easier to deal with if they’re on their own.”
“I see.” Annalíse rubbed at her chin. “That makes sense, we’ll do that then.”
“Good,” Rana continued. “Then once the twins are separated, Morrigan you get one of them in your little death hold, and Carmedy can swipe their token exactly like Annalíse said.”
“The technique that I use is called soul exorcism, not death hold,” Morrigan said flatly. “However, I do consent to this strategy.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Rana waved her paw absently. “Death hold, soul exorcism, same thing.”
“Alright,” Annalíse said. “Is everyone okay with this?” The rest of us voiced our support of her strategy. “Alright then,” the raspy-voiced woman continued. “Carmedy, sneak up as close as you can and then throw the smoke bomb. Be careful.” The petite feline nodded silently and moved away from the bushes that concealed us in a hunched position.
The cat moved noiselessly through the trees and approached with caution. There was an instance where one of the twins stood up to stretch, and I thought Carmedy would be found, but she quickly ducked behind one of the trees before the freckled men noticed her. Carmedy breathed a sigh of relief and gave us a thumbs up. The tree that concealed her was right on the edge of the Barden’s camp. She was in the perfect position.
The green-eyed woman quietly removed one of the bundles on her belt and undid the string that was tied around it.
“Everyone, get ready,” Annalíse whispered. Carmedy looked back at as one more time, gave a quick nod and then threw the pouch into the air. Within seconds the sack burst into a cloud of thick black-ish smoke. The Bardens hadn’t noticed the bundle before it had exploded, and they began to shout at the unexpected haze that had engulfed them. So far things were going according to plan, and Carmedy had caused enough confusion for me to make my move.
“Your turn.” Annalíse elbowed my ribs lightly. “Let’s see some of those impressive illusions. Don’t forget, send one at a time.”
I nodded silently and squinted my eyes in an effort to make out the positions of the men. The cloud that Carmedy had created was heavy and virtually impossible to see through. However, the black fog didn’t reach down to the ground, and I could still see the men’s feet. I recalled that the twins were dressed identically so it would be easy to distinguish them from Luke. That was more than enough, and I began to conjure up my illusions. Piece by piece my copies of the two men that we had captured not too long ago began to materialize in front of us. I did my best to make their physical makeups accurate down to the last detail to be on the safe side, but since I knew that the dark-haired men caught in the haze couldn’t really see all that much, the voices were what really mattered.
From my position, I could see that all the brothers were spread out. They shouted out in an effort to determine what was going on, but their panicked exclamations jumbled together and only added to the chaos. In a few seconds, the duplicates were complete, and I ordered the shorter Barden brother to move in the direction of one of the pairs of feet that I knew belonged to a Barden twin. It would have helped to know the twin’s names, but I would have to make do. My copy moved toward the edge of the smoke as near as he could get to the freckle-faced man.
“Hey, are you alright in there?” my illusion called out to the man closest to him. The real Barden brother’s voice was quite deep, and I thought I’d done quite a good job at duplicating it.
“John, is that you?” I heard the man cry out, and I saw his feet shuffle as he tried to tell where the voice came from.
“Yeah,” the phony John replied. “Just follow the sound of my voice.”
“What happened?” the twin asked as he began to walk in the direction of my Barden duplicate. Rana nodded to Morrigan who stood to her feet and ran over to one of the trees near where my illusion stood.
“We were able to take care of four of them, but one of the women managed to escape,” my copy called out. “We follo
wed her back here, but by the time we got back to camp, she had already thrown the smoke bomb. I lost sight of her.” My illusion spoke with a frustrated tone as he finished telling the story that I had cooked up. This explanation was perfect. It was logical and would assuredly draw no suspicion.
Annalíse nudged me as a signal to send the other Barden replica, and I nodded in response. The copy of the taller dark-haired man moved around the perimeter of the smoke cloud toward the other freckled man, and Annalíse and Rana silently rose to their feet and tiptoed after it.
“Luke’s not gonna be happy about that,” the twin groaned to the illusionary John.
“Yeah, I know,” my magic-woven Barden said with a wry chuckle. “So hurry up and get out here so we can catch the last one. If we’re lucky, we can find her before Luke gets wise to what happened.”
“Fine by me,” the freckled man said as he finally emerged from the black smoke. He placed a hand on the replica’s shoulder. “Let’s get this done.” The man’s face showed no sign that he knew that he was talking to a fake. My illusion had been well crafted enough to fool the Barden twin. The plan was going perfectly so far, and victory would soon be within our grasp.
That was when Morrigan stepped out from behind her tree, and before the twin could make a sound, she held her hand to the air, and the man’s body was instantaneously paralyzed. His head tilted back as his frame lifted into the air. Morrigan nodded to Carmedy who immediately jogged over and began to rifle through the man’s pockets.
Now it was my turn again. I was sure that enough time had passed for my other Barden duplicate to lure the remaining twin away. That left Luke. From where I was I could see that the eldest Barden was closer to the center of the black haze. The smoke hadn’t begun to dissipate yet, so I decided to conjure up one more illusion to lure him out. I chose to make another John replica, and within moments, the copy materialized beside me.
“Luke, you in there?” my illusion called out.
“John?” the leader of the group shouted back, as his feet turned one way and then another. “What’s going on?” My magic-crafted Barden proceeded to tell the same story that I had come up with before.