With one last sprint, I burst out of the jungle and into a wide-open space, at the centre of which was the Moonlit Refuge. I had no idea where the others were. Fixing my eyes on the Moonlit Refuge, I dug deep and ran as fast as I could possibly could. Behind me, the dinosaur roared, and I feared for a moment it wouldn't follow, trapped by some spell. Glancing over my shoulder I gave a huff of relief as it raced after me, head low so it could scoop me up once those terrible jaws closed on me.
I was no further than one hundred yards from the Moonlit Refuge when there was a massive explosion somewhere to the right, out of my sight. The flash lit up the air, and I gave a yowl of triumph as I realised that my friends had launched their attack. Fear filled me at the same time, however, as I knew the toll that such a large spell would have on them. Unless Dawn had packed some C4 on her. It didn't matter, so I angled my headlong rush towards the source. If the walls were breached, and how could they not be, I was going to lead the dinosaur right into the heart of the enemy's base.
Horns blatted and blared immediately after the explosion, with more explosions sending sound and light in all directions. It was awe-inspiring. Staying roughly one hundred yards from the walls of the Refuge as I ran, I finally circled around to see a large breach in the walls. Gunfire and Spells flashed back and forth, allowing me to see that my friends were tucked into the lee of the wall, shooting upwards. Their position was forcing the defenders to lean out over the wall to get a clear shot. Unfortunately for them, that meant my friends were also getting clear shots. Darting back and forth along the wall, they kept the enemy unaware of their true position. The number of Redcap bodies piled at the base of the wall well and truly outnumbered my little party.
The dinosaur roared once more, causing a pause in the battle. I hadn't expected such a change but took it with both paws. Digging deep, ignoring the muscles that had gone beyond screaming to hoarse-throated whimpering, I angled towards the breach. It was far bigger than I thought from a distance, the ruined masonry standing taller than a grown man in places. Fucking thing must have been built by Trolls, the blocks were that big. Still, I wasn't going to let a few large blocks stop me. And from the sounds of it, neither was the dinosaur. Another glance back over my shoulder, and I could see it was still utterly fixated on me. Ignoring even my friends. Who I hadn’t even considered when I came up with this crappy plan.
We bounded up the slope of the breach. Me, bouncing from rock to rock. It, crushing them beneath its huge feet. In what seemed like no time at all, I crested the breach, bowling aside the Red Caps at the top, who were staring in abject horror at the creature behind me. Seconds later, as they screamed behind me, I was in the Moonlit Refuge.
If I'm honest, I was completely underwhelmed. The architecture was boring, plain even. It was as if Mundanes had both designed and built the place. I could have transplanted it to anywhere in England and people wouldn't have seen anything special.
Aside from the orcs that appeared. Five of them, all wearing the Clan MicLoades’ tartan. Three had arrows nocked and drawn on their war bows. The other two led with swords and Shields raised.
'Mroar!' I gasped, paws scrabbling for purchase as I desperately tried to turn before I could reach them. I most certainly didn't have time to fight such opponents. Ever. Fortunately, their focus rapidly switched from me to the massive dinosaur chasing me.
My rapid turn had taken the beast by surprise whilst also lining me up with a door that looked like it led somewhere in the walls. I couldn't be certain, but with lungs fit to burst, and legs burning as if I'd dipped them in acid, I was willing to take that risk. With one last effort, I leaped into the darkness and the shelter it would give me.
A couple of minutes later, I was back in human form and had finished puking my guts up. Exertion has that effect on me. I'm not talking about a gentle ten-mile run, but the sort of combat I'd seen this day. Leaning my back against the wall, I slid to the floor, careful not to sit in my puke. My head pounded, and I was still out of breath. Wounds that I hadn't really noticed before were now making themselves known, and I had to wipe away the odd tear. As my brain raced, I compared myself to a Timothy Dalton era James Bond. I had the shit kicked out of me and yet I just kept going.
'What would Timothy do?' I asked, and then groaned as I pushed myself off the floor and made my way down the torch-lit corridor. I gave a brief smile as the dinosaur roared and screams answered. I stopped when I realised that my friends were still out there.
Fortunately, I was distracted before I could start worrying too much as a Red Cap stepped out from a side corridor I hadn't spotted. I'd like to say that I leapt into action and took the creature down before it could shit itself. But I didn't. We stood there, staring at each in wide-eyed and open-mouthed shock.
'He—' The Red Cap's shout died in his throat as I rammed my extended knuckles into it. As his hands grabbed at the damage done, I grasped hold of his face and sent a jolt of Lightning directly into his brain. The stench was fucking awful, but something I could live with. His knees gave way, and I quickly caught the corpse, trying to avoid detection for as long as possible. Even though they're only five feet tall, his limp body felt as if it weighed far more than that, and I was gasping for breath once again as I lowered it gently to the floor. Kneeling by the body, I waited for a slow count of thirty.
'Wow. Lucky me,' I muttered as I stood and looked down the side corridor. About twenty feet down, I could see it opened into a well-lit room. Red Caps bustled about, dashing in and out of another entrance. It seemed I'd stumbled across sort of command room. That dinosaur's not going to distract them for long, I thought. And if any of the orcs survived, they'd be certain to let their brothers-in-arms know there was an intruder.
'Carpe diem,' I whispered as I launched a Fireball straight into the centre of the room. Even before it exploded, I was sprinting away.
Through the thick and heavy carpet that covered the floor of the residential part of the Moonlit Refuge, I could feel the explosions that had started soon after I lobbed my Fireball into the command centre. I must have hit an ammunition store, an added bonus, which brought a quick smile to my face. Bells rang furiously, competing for the roaring dinosaur. How it was still alive was beyond me, but I wasn't going to look a gift reptile in the mouth. Especially not one as a fucking scary as that.
I'd spent the last twenty minutes or so searching in vain for dungeons, but it seemed as though the Moonlit Refuge was nothing more than an a heavily-defended pleasure palace, and the only dungeons I was going to find wouldn't be holding prisoners such as John. Getting more and more frustrated every minute that passed, I'd finally given in and made the decision to work my way up through the castle rather than down. I just prayed it was the correct decision.
As I expected, all the defenders were busy defending, and there would be no reason for anyone to be racing through the apartments fully armed. At the most, I would come across a servant, but even those would most likely have been given other duties. Such as fire-fighting. Dust drifted down from the mortared ceiling as there was another explosion, and I chuckled. Fachan was going to be so pissed off!
Coming to the first door that led off the hallway I was in, I listened carefully. No matter how hard I tried, the noise of the battle raging outside was just too much. Steeling myself, I quickly Cast to see if there were any Magical traps, kicking my Sight in. Nothing showed. Touching the handle with the back of my hand, I was relieved to find it wasn't electrified. Still, my stomach fluttered as activated my Shield and threw the door the open, Lightning ready to be thrown as soon as I needed it.
Turned out I didn't. I'd stormed into a well-appointed bedroom with a lovely dark-wood four-poster bed and tasteful décor. No one and nothing was there.
'Balls,' I said as I left that room and made my way swiftly down to the next door. All the doors were on the left-hand side of the corridor, large stained-glass windows lining the right-hand side. It meant I couldn't be blindsided whilst making an entry but also limi
ted my options should someone enter the hallway from either end. Bloody wish Dawn was here watching my back. Still, she and the others had their tasks and, judging by the noise that wasn't created by supposedly-extinct reptiles and my pyromaniac skills, they were alive and kicking. They, too, would be searching for John, and I knew they wouldn't give up until they found him. Just like me, I thought as I tested the next door. Again, it was all clear.
Throwing it open, I charged in, Lightning sheathing my hand, and then I stopped dead.
'Jane!'
'John? Oh, my God it's good to see you!' I threw my arms around my shocked-looking mentor, pulling him into a back-cracking hug. 'We've been looking everywhere for you.'
I pushed him gently back, scanning him all over for any signs of injury. 'Are you hurt, do you need a quick Heal? Did they torture you?'
'Jane,' his voice was soft and steady, belying the pallor of his face, 'I'm fine. Fine.'
'You don't have any idea how bloody worried we've been.' I caught the sob before it escaped. It felt so good to have found my friend.
'Me too. I thought this attack was yet another attack by Fachan's enemies. Granted, it seemed to be a little more dramatic than the others but what could I do. It's not as if I could join the fight.’ He gave a gentle smile, his brow slightly furrowed as he spoke.
'I thought I'd find you hanging by your toenails in a dungeon somewhere. Not living the high life.' I paused, frowning as I looked over to one of the most impressive looking collections of whisky I'd seen since visiting the Scottish Malt Whisky Society. 'is that a Yamazaki?' My relief at finding him was quickly being replaced by a growing sense of what-the-fuck.
He shrugged. 'Yes, lovely dram. Fachan was hoping that by treating me well he could turn me. I was expecting that after trying the carrot he would turn to the stick. I could sense his patience was growing thin and rather think you arrived in the nick of time.' He stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms.
We stood there for a moment, the sounds of battle in the background, before I pushed him gently away. 'Ready for some running and gunning?'
'I prefer scoot and shoot nowadays. Weapon?'
I handed him a pistol and magazine I'd brought, in the hope he'd be able to use them, and watched as he checked the pistol over before loading it. 'Good to go.'
I nodded, then led him back into the corridor. 'Know of anywhere in the open that we can get to?'
'Yes, they let me walk in the kitchen garden, this way.' He set off at a brisk pace. I let him lead as I wanted to ensure he truly was okay and to try to get my head straight. I fully expected to have to carry him out when I found him. Limbs missing. Maybe the odd eye or organ. Not Yamazaki malt whisky and five-star lodgings. Fachan was playing a far more sophisticated game than I had expected, and it left me uneasy. No one likes it when they misjudge an opponent. Especially me.
It took us a couple of minutes to reach the garden. The kitchens were empty, pots, pans, and abandoned ingredients testifying to the speed at which the staff had abandoned their culinary delights to respond to the attack.
A small side door led to the garden, and John had slipped through it whilst I was still sweeping the room. Muttering under my breath, I followed, stepping through into a large open courtyard chock-a-block with vegetables and herbs. The air was full of a heady mix of sage, basil, dragon's breath, centaur's nip, and a myriad of others.
There was a sudden movement behind a row of sunflowers. John's pistol cracked twice, and a body crashed through them to lie face down on the well-tilled earth.
'Clear!' John called. His voice was cold, clipped. I was seeing the John of old, the younger John who had been selected for this role. A John I had never seen before. It was unsettling.
'Nice kill. Ready to go home?'
'God, yes.'
Looking up, I raised my hand to the sky and sent a stream of green fire balls into the air, the agreed signal that one of us had found John and was ready to leave.
What followed next was a tense couple of minutes as we waited for the others to find their way to the courtyard. The whole time, I could hear the dinosaur still running rampant. One by one, the others appeared. Lebowski was first, and she looked utterly terrible. A gash ran the full width of her forehead, with the result that her face was utterly covered in blood. Her armour was rent in too many places to count, and one arm hung limply by her side.
'The others are coming. I could hear them.' Every word was more of a pant than speech. The hunk followed next. Naturally, he looked as fresh as a daisy, but upon closer inspection, I could see a weariness in his eyes that showed just how much of it was a front. My respect for him rose considerably.
'I really think we should go,' said John. He had been pacing the whole time we were in the kitchen garden.
'Not a fucking chance. Dawn is still out there,' I snapped.
His hand rose to his mouth. ‘Oh, sorry. I didn't realise you'd brought your apprentice here, as well.'
I tried not to wince and knew I'd failed as I felt my face twist. There was no sense of admonishment in his tone, but I knew I shouldn't have brought her and most certainly should never have left her.
'She has done well,' Hunk said. 'She is a true warrior. She will be an opponent to fear once she is her own mistress.'
'Thanks!' said Dawn as she burst into the garden, spun, then fired a short burst back the way she had come. 'Could you have made it any more difficult to find you?'
'Time for chatting later,' said Lebowski, 'we're leaving.' A portal to the Book Cover opened, and we piled through it just in time. As I turned to watch it close, a horde of howling Red Caps poured through the door.
'I tell you that's what it said,' Lebowski hissed. 'I was able to take one of their captains. He took a lot of pleasure in the fact that we were too late, and the ritual had started. He wasn't lying.'
During the last half hour since the portal had closed, we had been busy Healing Lebowski and mourning our lost comrades. My heart sank as Lebowski repeated what she had heard. Looking around, I could see the toll that the last few hours had taken, and if everyone looked as bad as they felt, then we were fucked.
'Christ on a bike, this Mark is utterly shit,' moaned Dawn, 'I'm knackered beyond all belief. Why can't we just have a few days of rest in between crises?'
'I'm sorry, Dawn. I would never have accepted this for the two of you if I knew it was going to be this hard,' John said softly. 'I thought it would turn out to be a lone-wolf easily taken down. This…this is a conspiracy that reaches to the highest level.'
I scrubbed my face, the skin feeling gritty as the dirt and dried-on sweat rubbed away. Not a good look, I thought. I straightened my back, trying to exude some sort of confidence whilst wishing I could just go and bury myself under my duck-feather duvet.
I started thumbing away at my phone as I spoke. 'I'm messaging the Chief Merlin for backup, asking her to send it directly to Darkmoor. I want everyone to resupply, grab some grub, and be ready to go in twenty minutes. God knows whether we'll get there in time to stop the ceremony, but these things tend to take ages, especially with Wards as strong as those on Hound Tor. John, please stay here and act as comms.'
He nodded, a slight frown creasing his head. Laying a hand softly on his knee, I leant towards him. 'I couldn't bear to lose you a second time.'
Even though we were all pretty fucked up, mentally and physically, we were ready to go in under ten. Aside from calling in a favour from the Chief Merlin, I’d also managed to convince a local farmer who owed me a favour for lifting a curse from his prize milk cow. Not that Dawn was impressed.
‘It smells like wet dog and fucking sheep shit back here!’ There wasn’t enough room in the front of the Land Rover we’d borrowed, so she’d had to go in the back. As had the others who weren’t bitching.
‘I’ve never smelt a sheep fucking when it’s taking a shit,’ I replied with a grin to Lebowski, ‘but if that’s what you’re into, okay.’
‘You have the strangest relati
onship I’ve ever seen. If I spoke to my father like that, he would have slit my throat, then served my brains up as a starter at one of his feasts.’
I paused, letting that sink in for a moment. Lebowski was frightening enough in person, but to think that a father could even say—let alone mean—such a thing was chilling. ‘Wow, okay. Well, banter relieves the tension. That way we don’t have to cut each other’s throats. Or serve brains up to our guests.’
Crossing her arms, she stared at me, then gave a slight nod. ‘I suppose that makes sense. In a strange way.’
‘Are we nearly there yet?’
‘One more word and I slit your throat!’ hissed Lebowski, shark teeth bared and smacking her palm on the divider. ‘Banter. I’m getting the hang of it.’
Darkmoor is a popular destination with Mundanes and members of the Magical community alike. It has views for miles around, piles of rocks—called Tors—which are millions of years old. Wild ponies, which will sometimes let you give them sugar, and sometimes bite your fingers right off. Not only that, it also has a stack-load of Fae and one fucking huge Hell Hound.
Just the thought of the Hell Hound loose gave me a heavy foot. Not that it made any difference, the Land Rover we were currently in was a piece of shit.
Which was appropriate considering the fact that Dawn had started bitching about the smell again. Another thing that Darkmoor had was winding roads, adverse cambers, and a load of potholes that still hadn’t been filled in from last winter. As we jounced around another corner too quickly, Dawn’s voice was drowned out by the sound of Hunk vomiting.
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