The woman eyed my foot and me warily. “Maybe. Why?”
“It’s powerful and… dangerous. I’m… worried for her. She doesn’t know,” I lied. Again.
The woman began to cry harder. A flood of tears cascaded down her aging face. I felt like a piece of crap standing there watching, but what could I do? What would I do if this were my own mother? I reached out and put an arm around her fragile shoulders. She sank into my embrace as I patted her back. “It’ll be okay. I’ll protect her. I promise.”
She looked deeply into my eyes. “She’s at Torpid Springs. Please find her. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her.”
I squeezed her again, and then stepped back.
“You be careful too,” she said, her cheeks red and puffy.
“I will.” I turned and jogged out of the village as fast as I could without drawing too much attention. As soon as I hit the forest edge, the pain began.
Kalika made it to Torpid Springs, wallowing in sorrow. Her mind never drifted far from her brother who had been her best friend. They’d run through the forests and had swum in the streams. He’d taught her to hunt and had treated her as an equal even when other boys made fun of him for it.
Despite her exhaustion, she jogged straight through camp to the leathersmith to have some minor repairs made to her armor. Soldiers from all over the Legion land had arrived, checking into their quarters, visiting old friends and reporting to their superiors. Her usual happiness at seeing her comrades was absent. She didn’t want to be here.
A large tent off to the right housed the mavericks of her level. She found her sleeping space, dropped her pack, and lay down in weariness—not from running, but from heartache. She wanted nothing but the sweet oblivion of sleep. In her quiet corner, she closed her eyes, willing the memories of her brother to vanish for a moment. Just as she entered a quiet slumber, a body thumped down next to her.
Kalika cracked an eye, and then closed it again, ignoring the intruder.
“Hey, get up! I just got here, and I’m ready to rumble,” Kalika’s enthusiastic friend said, shaking her shoulder.
“Nona, I am dead tired. I need to rest.”
Nona threw a nut in the air and caught it in her teeth. “You? Need rest? What’s wrong?”
Kalika sighed in resignation. She would have to explain. Otherwise, Nona would never go away. “My brother died last week.”
A look of despair settled on Nona’s face and she reached out, smoothing Kalika’s hair. “Oh Kali, I’m so sorry. Want to spar to take your mind off it? Or wrestle? I can get you something to eat if you want.”
Sparring and eating were the last things she wanted. “No. I just want to sleep.”
“Okay. I’ll be back later.” Nona leaned down and gave Kalika a quick hug, then left the tent. No one else bothered her until late in the day.
As I hurried back to my friends, the painful burning began, starting in my fingers and toes, then moving up through my thighs, my groin, and my chest. Fire tore through my neck and head as my facial bones ground back into place and my hair fell out, replaced with my natural style and color. I tripped numerous times as my legs and feet shrank, and reshaped in painful metamorphosis. I covered my face and stumbled over a rock, falling into the dirt, writhing in agony.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” a voice said, standing over me.
I rolled over to see a burly green thing with scaly ears and a wide, bulbous nose.
A goblin.
“Oh, no,” I mumbled as I tried to stand, but my transformation continued as the band of goblins stared, their mouths gaping in revulsion.
“It’s a witch!” one exclaimed, pulling out his ax. Just as the goblin raised his arm, an arrow twanged into his chest and vibrated to a stop. The goblin froze with a look of utter surprise on his face, and then fell to the earth, dead.
The other goblins raised their weapons and searched the forest for enemies. “Did you see that?” one growled, turning in a tight circle.
I didn’t know who or what had saved me, but I wasn’t about to hang around and find out. Fully human again, I jumped up, my feet hitting the dirt. I took off through the forest, the goblins following close behind. I yelled in fright when another arrow hummed past my left ear, narrowly missing me.
The forest grew thick, and the emerald canopy blocked out all sunshine. I tried to remember this area on my computer, but my mind was jumbled, panicked. If I remembered correctly, these woods were inhabited by numerous beasts and monsters of the Legion. I stayed parallel to the path, hoping to avoid them and find my friends.
Running fast was impossible with all the undergrowth, so I slowed, hurtling clumsily over fallen debris. When I heard a murmur ahead, I slowed and crept as close as I dared, hoping it was my friends.
No such luck. I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.
I found a small clearing with twig huts situated in a circle around a modest bonfire. Troll-like animal, only four feet tall, ambled around, chanting and beating rattles against their chests. The creatures walked on two legs and looked like miniature Minotaurs. Some even sported gold rings through their snouts, their feet bare.
The aroma of roasting meat wafted on the breeze, and my mouth watered. How long had it been since I’d eaten? I couldn’t even remember. That couldn’t be healthy. I still had a huge appetite, but miracle of miracles, I never gained any weight here. Just muscle. Maybe I could sneak something without being caught.
I crept forward carefully, tiptoeing to the nearest hut to pinpoint the source of the flavorful aroma. Something hung, skewered over the fire—something large that dripped with melting fat and sizzled deliciously. I moaned in delightful anticipation.
As I crept, I was sure to watch my feet, determined not to step on anything that would make noise. I walked right into a low hanging branch that caught near my right eye, leaving a fresh, jagged scrape. I yelped in surprise.
The beasts turned and stood motionless, staring at me.
Pandemonium erupted.
The miniature Minotaurs roared and surrounded me, speaking an unintelligible language. I was so freaked that I didn’t fight back when they tied my hands and feet with thick twine. Taking one look at their hungry faces, I cried for help, hoping my friends were close enough to hear.
The Minotaurs carried me, struggling and screaming like a baby, to the raging fire and set me next to their skewered dinner. I stared into the cooking animal’s melted eyes. It wasn’t a pig at all—like I’d thought—but a small unicorn, its golden horn blackened with soot. The hair had burned away, and its skin had cooked to a golden brown.
I had never seen a unicorn in the game. Ever. Gazing at what I thought to be a revered beast, my heart sank. This was very bad. Why would they kill something so magically wonderful? What kind of person would do that? But these weren’t people. These were horrors who served a dark god.
With renewed strength, I fought my captors, struggling to free myself. A Minotaur with light hair toted a six-foot pole that had been honed to a sharp point at one end, exactly like the one the unicorn was skewered with.
Dread spread through my body like boiling acid, coating my insides, making me moan in defeat. There was no way to escape, and my friends had no idea where I was. The Minotaur brought the sharpened spear over and laid it next to me with a satisfied smile.
The beasts proceeded to cut my new leather armor from my body. I almost cried from despair just over that. Kirth had spent a fortune on this gear. It was endowed with all sorts of awesome enchantments, and now it would be thrown in the fire like rags. I struggled, screaming at the top of my lungs and lashing out with my legs, but it didn’t matter, my armor was ruined.
In fury, I latched onto the closest beast with my teeth, but immediately let go as the foul, filthy hair filled my mouth. A sour taste and bits of fur coated the roof of my mouth and stuck at the back of my throat. I couldn’t swallow, and I couldn’t spit it out. My stomach took care of it for
me. I retched and retched until there was nothing left, and I lay there naked, helpless, and reeking of vomit.
A Minotaur hefted the spiked pole, saying something to his comrades in their foreign tongue. In unison, they rolled me to my stomach and spread my legs. Instantly, I knew what they were going to do. I fought and kicked, trying to flip back. I got one of them with my feet, sending him flying. The furious creature jumped up, brandishing the spiked weapon, ready to pierce me through, its face brimming of rage.
When a shriek of fury echoed from the woods, the small party glanced up. An arrow zipped past and lodged into the chest of the Minotaur to my right. The one holding the spear. His buddies stared in surprise, but soon began shrieking when dozens of arrows descended. I shoved my face into the dirt, hoping to avoid them myself, and when the barrage ended, I lay in silence, holding my breath.
Footsteps approached.
“Zach?”
I looked up. “Lauren?”
She rushed to my side, slicing through the twine around my hands and feet. Kirth held his bow with an arrow still nocked. Flitwicket threw her robe over my shoulders.
“Kirth, it was you?” I held the tiny pixie at arm’s length and gazed into his eyes with gratitude. Never had I worshiped anyone more.
“Of course! Who else can shoot an arrow from two hundred feet away? I’ll bet you couldn’t even see me.”
I shook my head, chuckling. “Nope, I couldn’t.”
The Minotaurs were either dead or had run off, so the camp lay empty and quiet.
Lauren turned to the spit, holding her hands out to the warmth. “Maybe we should eat since we’re here. It sure smells good.” Everyone turned to the fire, noticing for the first time the roasting unicorn. Dardanos and Kirth stepped over to the revered animal and took it from the flames, laying it on the soft, cool grass.
“It’s a unicorn,” I answered. “See the horn?”
“Oh.” Lauren froze, her eyes widening.
“This is deplorable,” Flitwicket whispered, stepping closer. “We need to bury her before the Minotaurs return.”
It didn’t take long to carry the unicorn’s body deep into the forest. We dug a hole and placed the unicorn inside, then covered it with Flitwicket’s silvery priestess robes. She placed a spell over the gravesite, making it invisible to others, so it would never be disturbed.
“The golden horn has magical properties that many of the Legion would kill for. But no one with a heart kills a unicorn,” Flitwicket said, her head bowed.
After a moment, Lauren leaned close to me. “So, did you get it?”
“Huh? Get what?”
“The pendant, dummy. Did you get the pendant?”
“Umm, no. She wasn’t there, but I found out her name and where she went.” Weary, I sat on a rock and rubbed my neck. What a terrible day it had been. It seemed like every time I turned around, something awful happened. The game wasn’t exciting anymore, and I yearned for the safety of my home and family.
I trembled with cold while we hiked back through the woods, and thorns got stuck in my feet since I didn’t have shoes. I was beyond miserable. Kirth ended up giving me his spare set of armor to wear. It was tight, but would work until I could buy my own. Starving, I opened my pack and took out a bit of good mood food, taking a big bite of the sugary pastry. It melted like chocolate over my tongue, erasing the awful taste of Minotaur hair and barf. Almost immediately, I felt rested and restored, my aching muscles relaxed. Energy coursed through my body, and a calm filled my troubled mind. My quest no longer seemed so daunting, and I didn’t miss home as badly.
Kirth shifted his pack and sped up to walk beside me. “So. Where is she?” he asked. “The woman with the pendant.”
“Oh. Right. Her name is Kalika, and she’s at Torpid Springs.”
“Torpid Springs?” Dardanos repeated, still weak and tired from his injury, his face pale. I knew my toon needed some pastry, and as much as I hated to part with it, I offered some anyway.
Dardanos took it with a wry smile. “Do I look that bad?”
“No. I can just tell you need it,” I said with a chuckle.
“The closer we get to Torpid Springs, the more enemy soldiers we’ll encounter,” Kirth said. “It will become increasingly difficult to avoid detection, especially for Dardanos. He’s too big to go unnoticed. Maybe he should stay here since he needs to rest anyway. Lauren can stay with him. Flitwicket, Zach and I can go on alone. There’s probably a cave farther in where you can wait.”
Lauren’s smile dropped. “But… isn’t it dangerous to split up? What if something happens and we can’t find each other? What if you get captured? We’d never know.”
“Then it’s better that we’re not captured all at once,” Flitwicket added, squeezing Lauren’s shoulder in reassurance. “Dardanos knows how to survive in the woods. You’ll be fine.”
“But… this is inappropriate! We can’t be left alone. My parents would freak!” Lauren screeched, her eyes wide. I think the truth was she was scared. Dardanos was injured and she didn’t want to be separated from me. I should have been flattered, but sisters are beyond annoying.
“Lauren, it’s not like you’re on a date. It’s a reconnaissance mission!” I said, excited for our next adventure, not even thinking that Lauren and Dardanos would be alone together.
She glared at me, communicating sileintly how stupid she thought I was. I didn’t care in the least, and I was feeling better and better as the seconds ticked by. Maybe I should give Lauren some of my pastry so she would be in a better mood. But then I decided she wasn’t being nice enough to deserve any.
“No,” Dardanos said with finality. “We shouldn’t split up. I’ll be fine.”
While the group waited at the edge of the woods, Kirth scouted ahead. Dardanos lay slumped against a tree, clearly showing signs of fatigue. He panted, and sweat beaded his brow. I moved closer and placed my hand over his forehead. “Are you okay?”
My warrior’s pride forced him to keep going, but what he really needed was rest. I hoped we could get him to a city before he collapsed altogether.
“I’m all right,” he said with a pained smile. Our moment was interrupted when Kirth returned with a message that stole my attention from Dardanos and made my heart stop cold.
“I spotted guards up ahead, close to the Legion outpost. I overheard them saying the Warlord has ordered a surprise attack on all Guild cities. It happens at midnight.” He sank to the pine-covered ground and wiped his brow, panting. “The Torpid Springs regiment marches on Stonehammer.” He took a swig of water.
“Stonehammer,” Zach repeated in a horrified whisper. “The halfling city.”
“Yes,” Flitwicket said, rising to her full height. “We need to warn them!”
“But how?” I asked. “We don’t have time. The attack is at midnight.”
We all sat thinking for a moment, and then Kirth’s face lit up with a wide smile. “Do you see those hills over there?” He pointed toward the east, past a wide, grassy valley.
“Yes,” we all answered at the same time.
“In those hills is a hidden Guild outpost. There’s a sorcerer stationed there, and I know him.” Kirth said. “That is, if we can find him.”
“That’s right! I remember now,” Zach said, smacking his head.
The rest of the group turned to stare at him in confusion, and I looked away like I had no idea what he was talking about. Smooth move, ex-lax.
“How do you know that?” Kirth asked. “It’s a secret.”
“Uh, just heard about it. So, how do we get over there?” Zach said, hurrying to change the subject. He gazed at the hills across the valley. “That’s a long way with nowhere to hide.”
“We wait until dark,” Kirth said. “Once the sun sets, the shadows will hide us.”
Darkness descended slowly. I already felt we were wasting time waiting for night, but finally, Kirth gave the order.
“Okay, follow me,” he whispered, and we sp
rinted in a crouch across the road to the first stand of trees. Nothing moved or made a sound. “Let’s go,” he whispered again. We dashed into the open valley with only the moon to guide our way.
Dardanos brought up the rear with me beside him, of course. Zach kept glancing back at us, worried that we weren’t keeping up. I don’t know what he thought would happen. That we would stop to have a make-out session? We hadn’t even kissed yet! Well, okay, maybe he worried about us being caught by the Legion if we fell too far behind. It didn’t matter, because in the next moment I heard a rustling to my right. I stopped, listening intently. “Did you hear that?”
Flitwicket cocked her head, slowing to let us catch up. “I don’t hear anything.”
My panting was audible in the quiet stillness, because I was still sore, and running across that field was nearly killing me. Dardanos was bent at the waist, resting his massive hands on his knees, his breath coming in hitches. He was clearly exhausted also.
Kirth knelt and placed his ear on the ground. “Hmm. I forgot about the deeches.”
“Deeches?” Zach said. “Those little rat things that thrive in open valleys and grassy plains? The ones that look like prairie dogs except for their two-inch fangs and long, black claws that can rake you to the bone? Those deeches?” he asked, practically screeching.
“They attack in hordes. Hundreds. Sometimes, thousands at a time,” Dardanos said, reaching for his swords.
“Great,” I mumbled, getting my wand ready. “Just one more thing that wants to kill us.”
The rustling increased as thousands of tiny feet clawed their way to the surface. The little beasts poured from holes in the ground all around us.
“Run!” Flitwicket commanded, taking off. Her long legs spun effortlessly beneath her.
Zach could have easily run ahead, but he didn’t leave us on that deadly prairie. He kept pace with Dardanos who was wounded, so he wouldn’t get too far ahead. I loved him so much at that moment.
The Eye of Tanub Page 14