Finkle pulled Odder away. "Let her be, laddy. This is what she does."
Odder clenched his teeth and sat on the sand. "She'll be fine,” he said, trying to convince himself. He held his hands to his mouth. "She'll be fine."
***
Several hours passed when Aimma finally stood and walked over to Odder and Finkle.
Odder jumped to his feet to meet her. "Is she alright?"
"Mostly," Aimma responded. "After her rest tonight, she should be well."
Odder lifted his head and exhaled in relief. "Thank you Aimma." She grinned. "Can I go to her?"
"Sure, but be careful not to wake her. She needs her rest."
Odder kneeled by Serra's side. She had a peaceful expression, and her bandages swaddled her like a baby. He leaned into her ear and then whispered, "Aimma says you'll be alright." He gently caressed the tips of her hair, careful not to disturbed her. "I'm sorry." He remained sitting for several moments before walking back to Aimma and Finkle.
"Don't worry, Laddy." Finkle handed him a cup he created from sand and magic. "Rest up. We'll all need our strength for tomorrow."
Odder sat next to the two. "Maybe we should call off our plan. It's too dangerous. Serra is out, and Karzan is missing."
"Nonsense," said Finkle. "If we don't stop this scourge, then who will?"
"What about the other kings?" Odder questioned. "They must be gathering their forces."
"We don't even know if there are other kings," Aimma said, "but we do know you have been chosen to be the Champion. No matter what happens, you need to be at the portal with the Maha'De during the Tetrad."
"Odder," Finkle said. "This is your destiny, and you can't avoid it. Serra risked her life to save you. Don't let it be in vain."
Odder smiled. "You're right." He padded Finkle on the back. "You’ve always been wise for your size."
Finkle lowered his brow and paused then laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He gripped Odder's arm. "We may be gnome and elf, but we are brothers."
"Agreed."
"It's getting dark. The pitch will be here soon," Aimma said, walking toward Serra. "I'll check on Serra's wounds. Can you two conjure a protection spell?"
"Sure can." Finkle pulled Odder to his feet. "Come on, laddy. I'll teach you how to conjure one up."
Finkle filled his cup with the lake water and poured it around their camp. "There are many different protection spells with varying degrees of defense. The one I'm conjuring will ward off beast but also cloak us."
He continued with the spell. Odder listened and then finished the remainder.
"I'm amazed at how fast you learn spell casting."
"Believe me. I’m surprised too."
"Serra's doing fine," Aimma said. "I'll take the first watch. You two get your rest."
Odder and Finkle laid next to each other near the fire, staring up at the night sky.
"All this happened so fast - this is the first real moment I've had to look at the Eye of Adeit," Odder whispered.
"It is quite a sight," said Finkle. He turned toward Odder with a puzzled look. "Conjuring a magic shield by thought is extraordinary."
"It just came to me."
"Wizards can’t do what you did." Finkle rolled over to his back. "Will you still be the same Odder when this is all done?"
Odder stared at the Eye. He pondered Finkle's question. With the defeat of the demons and the freedom to wield magic, how could I not change? "I'm already different, but I'll always be your friend."
Finkle smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear."
After a pause, Finkle asked, "Say, remember those silly prank spells you collected?"
"Of course, I have them now in my bag."
"I suppose you won't be needing them anymore."
"Nonsense, when this quest is done, we'll both try them out."
"Deal," Finkle said, his word fading into a snore.
"Wake up," whispered Aimma.
"What is it?" replied Odder.
"Be quiet. We have trouble."
Odder nudged Finkle. "Finkle get up."
"What? What!"
"Shhh," Odder and Aimma said.
Finkle grabbed his hammer. "Is there trouble?"
"Yes," said Aimma. "Two goblin skags just outside our camp. I don't think they've spotted us yet."
"Let's hope the protection spell works," said Odder.
"I can knock them over the mountain," Finkle said, lifting his hammer.
"No, too alarming. We need something subtle."
"A sleep spell," said Finkle.
"Too slow," said Aimma, “and it will draw suspension if other goblins find them.
"I have something," said Odder.
"What?" Aimma and Finkle asked together.
"The prank spells."
"What, you want to give them donkey ears?" questioned Finkle.
"I'm saving that for you." Odder smirked. "What about slippery step?"
"Knock it off," said Aimma, in a harsh whisper. "This is no time for child's play.”
Odder and Finkle looked at each other and said in unison, "Flatulence."
"Ridiculous and gross." Aimma placed her hand on her forehead. "You can't be serious?"
Odder lifted a scroll from his satchel and unrolled it. He rubbed his fingers across the top and launched the words at the first goblin.
The goblin stopped and grabbed his stomach. "Arr, my gut feels strange."
"I told you to stay away from those anoles," said the other goblin. "It had warts all over its rotting skin."
The first goblin belched, then lifted his leg. pfft...
"Ah! That's foul. Do it again, and I'll slice your head off."
Finkle covered his mouth, holding in his chuckle.
"Shh..." Aimma elbowed him in the ribs.
Pfft, pfft...
"What did I tell you. We might be vulgar goblins, but we're not filthy. Keep your foulness to yourself."
"I can't help it." Pfft, pfft, prrrph...
"Ugh!" The second goblin pulled out his sword and held it up. "I'll cut off your -"
-Rhipapa...
"Dah!" The second goblin's eyes bulged. His hook nose twitched, and his mouth drooped. He took off running in the opposite direction.
"Wait!" said the first goblin following and leaving a trail of disgusting fumes behind.
"Yes!" Odder raised his hand and met Finkle's in the air.
"I can't believe that worked," said Aimma, with a look of disgust.
"I wouldn't go in that direction for a while." Odder laughed with Finkle joining. "See Finkle. I knew those prank spells would come in handy one day."
"Indeed, laddy."
"Alright, you two. We got lucky." Aimma dimmed the light of the fire with a cloaking spell. "We know goblins are patrolling, so we need to be careful. I'll check on Serra. Odder, do you want the next watch?"
"I'll take it," said Finkle. "Odder needs his rest. Big day tomorrow."
"Thanks." Odder tapped Finkle's hat.
***
Odder woke to the sounds of giggling.
"He's awake," said Aimma, sitting by the fire next to Finkle and Serra.
"Good morning, laddy," Finkle said, as he flipped over a flatfish.
"Serra?" Odder wiped his eyes.
"Hey, Oddy." Serra smiled.
He stood, walked over, and huddled at the fire. He held out his hands to take in the warmth. "Serra." He gave her an unsure look. "How you feeling?"
"Not bad." She handed him a fish. "Thanks to Aimma."
Odder smelled the pleasing aroma of the freshly charred fish. He sat on a log by the fire and took a bite. The meat tasted salty and smoky. "Delicious."
"Thanks," said Finkle. "Eat up. There's plenty. Caught it fresh while everyone slept."
Odder noticed the burnt scars running down the left side of Serra’s face, neck, and arm. He turned away. "You're...," he said but stopped.
She rubbed over the wounds. "You can stare. I don't mind. It looks worse
than it feels."
"Aimma, can you heal the scars?" he asked.
"No. The damage is too great, but internally she's restored," Aimma responded.
"I like it," Finkle said, handing Serra a fish. "Nothing fiercer than a vixen with battle scars."
"Gnomie." Serra grinned. "You're starting to get on my good side."
"Wahoo." Finkle did a backflip.
"So, what happened?" Odder asked.
Serra sat next to him with Finkle and Aimma sitting across. "After you jumped into the portal -"
"- After you pushed me you mean."
"Yeah sure. After I pushed you into the portal, all eight of the shadow reapers attacked."
Serra described the battle in detail. “They are slow, even in a haste spell, but my attacks were ineffective, only delaying them. They cornered me long enough to allow the dragon to enter its head and fill the area with fire. My shield failed but gave me enough time to escape.”
"Why didn't you morph into smoke and disappear?" Odder questioned.
"What do you think I did?" Serra responded. "I don't actually turn into smoke, though. I cast two spells at once. A haste spell and an illusion. The exact balance has taken me years to perfect."
"Conjuring two advanced spells at once and by thought - genius," Aimma said.
"Brilliant," added Finkle.
"So now you know my secret."
"I'm sure you have many secrets," said Finkle.
Odder handed Serra her satchel and belt. "When you teleported, how did you get your satchel back?"
"Thanks." Serra buckled her belt. "The satchel is magically coupled to me when I jump." She glanced at her dagger and an empty sheath. "Unfortunately, my daggers are not."
Odder's raised a brow. "Your other dagger, where is it?"
"Stuck in the neck of a reaper."
"Another one down," Finkle said.
"Wishful thinking," Aimma said. "They're already dead, remember?"
"At least you still have one," said Odder.
"My grandfather crafted those daggers and gave them to my father. It's all I have left from my family, and I promise I will get my dagger back." Serra cleared the ground in front of them. "Now we should focus on the details of our plan now."
"Good Idea," Aimma said. "Noon will be here before we know it."
"What about Karzan and the fairies?" Finkle asked.
"We can't wait," said Odder.
Serra formed the market, the alleyway, the buildings, and the statue out of sand. She pointed in the alley. "We arrive here. The statue's here."
"If goblins are in the area, we'll need a distraction." Finkle pointed his thumbs toward his chest. "Leave that to me."
"Perfect," said Odder. "You're great at making commotions."
"Serra and I can guard Odder as he reunites the Maha'De," Aimma said.
"Simple enough," said Serra. "Once Odder's done, we'll all head back to the alley and teleport out of there. In the meantime, let's prepare our spells."
"You ready for this, laddy?" Finkle asked swinging his war hammer in the air.
Odder gripped his wooden sword. "Ready as I'll ever be."
***
Odder fell on the cobblestone, skidding on his hands and knees. "I haven't quite mastered the landing."
"Don't worry," Serra whispered, in a crouched position with her back against a building wall. "It takes practice. Now find a place to hide."
Aimma fell through the portal next with Finkle following. Crushed crates, tipped over storage boxes, and bashed in barrels littered the alleyway. Evidence of a passing army.
As they hid in the debris, Serra disappeared, leaving a trail of dark smoke around a corner. A few moments later, she returned. "Very odd. I don’t see any goblins. Only a few tortured elves chained to a pole."
"Maybe the goblins killed the remaining elves and left," said Finkle.
Odder peeked around the corner, surprised by the destruction and charred remains. His mouth fell open. "I think one of those elves is Drugan."
"Not possible," said Aimma, looking over Odder's shoulder.
"Is it him?" asked Finkle.
"Oh no, I think so," Aimma replied.
"Sounds like he got what he deserved," Finkle said.
"No one deserves that," said Odder.
Aimma gripped her satchel. "We should check if he's still alive."
"Let's focus on what we came here for." Serra pointed to a butcher's shop, just east of the statue. "Finkle, we might still need a distraction. Can you make it to that shop?"
"Easy as curd in milk."
"If you see anything coming, make the distraction," Serra said.
"Anything for my fair maiden."
Finkle maneuvered to the butcher's shop.
"Aimma, Odder, you ready?"
"Drugan's close," said Aimma. "I can rescue him within minutes."
Odder gripped her shoulder. "I know your instincts are telling you to heal, but Serra's right. We need to reunite the sword first, and then we can check on Drugan."
Aimma hesitated but agreed. Serra took the lead with Odder in the middle, his sword drawn, and Aimma watching the rear. In a low stance, they hurried to the statue.
"Here we are," Serra said. "Aimma you watch the North, and I'll keep an eye on the south and west. Odder, you know what to do."
Odder stared up at the statue of Lazden. After all the times he passed the statue and studied its opulence, this was the first time he noticed Lazden staring back at him. The statue's eyes were stern and unyielding as if demanding the spirit of the Maha'De to be reunited. While Odder lifted, his sword vibrated. This is it, he thought. He heard noises in the background but stayed focus on the sword. He touched the tip of the wooden sword to the tip of Lazden's sword. An intense light swirled around the two swords bringing them together with Odder still holding the hilt. A flash of brilliant blue light exploded. Odder shielded his face but didn’t break his gaze. He gasped, for in his hands, he held the Maha'De, and for a moment - time stood still.
Red, blue, and orange lights accompanied by loud crashes came from the butcher's shop.
"Finkle," said Serra. "He’s in trouble."
"Goblins, "Aimma shouted.
From every direction skags, dekans, and even the large Guriquars poured into the center, surrounding them.
"What do we do?" Odder asked.
Serra held up her dagger. "We fight!"
A red-cloaked figure adorned in royal purple ribbons stepped forward. "You don't have a chance swamp slug."
Odder recognized the voice. It can't be.
The figure pulled back his hood.
"Renzt." The name burned like acid in Odder's throat. His nostrils flared. "What are you doing with the goblins?"
Renzt held his chin high above his shoulders. He strutted over to the group with a look of condescension. "We have made a special arrangement."
"No elf would be so foolish!" Shouted Aimma. "Why would you sell out your race?"
A smile cracked at the corner of Renzt's mouth. His eyes narrowed while he tilted his head. "With Queen Sorren's stinger embedded into my chest and her venom filling my veins, I pleaded an exchange."
"The location of the Maha'De," interrupted Odder.
Renzt raised his brows. "I gave her the location in exchange for my life," he looked around at the goblins, "and to govern Elestus."
The goblins grumbled amongst themselves.
Serra whispered. "I count around a hundred goblins. I can strike the four Guriquars wielding the saw throwers with my stilettos first. Then we can take the rest."
"Aimma?" Odder asked.
She nodded, giving reassurance.
Odder held up the sword toward Renzt. "It doesn't matter. I have the Maha'De and not even the Demon Queen, nor your dragon are a match against the demon killer."
"Perhaps, but the Maha'De is just a sword until dipped into the molten silq of Rigan. As for the Queen, she's preparing the dragon for a greater purpose."
"Without the d
ragon, killing a hundred goblins will be effortless," said Serra.
Renzt laughed. "Perhaps you're right." He lifted his hand to the sky and twisted his wrist in a circular pattern until black clouds formed.
Shadow reapers fell from the darkness and landed next to Renzt. The familiar glow of their yellow eyes screamed at Odder. He held his breath and listened to their black hearts pulse within their translucent skin. Renzt lifted the corner of his lips to form a crazed grin.
A sudden deep boom echoed from behind Odder. Several goblins flew over his head and landed on the ground. Another boom, this time with goblins flying into the cobblestone walls of a nearby shop. Odder, Aimma, and Serra ducked. Bolts of lightning struck the shadow reapers knocking them to the ground.
Renzt's grin turned into confusion.
Hundreds of raging fairies emerged from sparks bursting in the air. Several attacked the reapers while the rest swarmed at the goblins.
Odder turned toward the source of the booming noise and saw Finkle clearing a path through the goblins like a farmer reaping wheat.
Serra grabbed Odder's arm. "This is our chance to escape." She pulled him toward the alley.
Two shadow reapers escaped the fairy attack and blocked their way. A lightning bolt ripped over Odder and struck one reaper, blasting it into a wall.
Serra lifted her hands toward the other reaper and chanted a spell. A funnel of air launched at the reaper and threw it back into the alley.
"Odder this way," said a familiar voice.
"It's Karzan," Aimma called to the others.
The group ran up next to him.
"No time for small talk." Karzan glanced around. "Several fairies hold open a portal. This way." He pointed west toward a narrow street. Odder, Aimma, Serra, and Finkle all followed Karzan as he led the way.
Goblins and fairies blanketed the town's landscape like a broken mosaic.
"What about Drugan and the other elves?" Aimma asked.
"Leave him," replied Finkle.
Drugan rested on his knees, gagged with a golden sphere. His hands trapped inside silver metal canisters attached to a chain mounted to a pole. He lifted his bludgeoned head. His eyes pleaded with Odder.
A knot formed in Odder's throat. He took a deep breath. "We can't leave him. He may be a Xenduri, but we are all Elven."
"I agree," said Aimma.
"Fine. Let's make it quick." Karzan launched a fireball at an advancing goblin. "The fairies won't deter the shadow reapers for long."
Odder- The Blood Curse Page 24