“Better watch your step there, son,” Dennig said, wiping sweat from his brow. “It’s rather steep and a long way down.”
“Thank you,” Karus said, glancing back at the large rock, which had shifted onto its side. Had they been taking their time, he would never have trusted it with his weight. But time was a commodity he did not wish to waste.
“Looks like I’m getting all the thanks today.” Dennig grinned.
“Don’t worry,” Karus said with some amusement. “I am sure it will all come full circle. Just give it some time. I’m certain you’ll be thanking Tal’Thor, or maybe even the dragons, before the day is through.”
Dennig grunted at that and released his arm. “Is it just you or all humans? You seem really good at souring one’s mood.”
“They’re getting ahead of us,” Karus said, clapping the dwarf on the shoulder. “Let’s keep moving.”
They continued on, hastily following the path on its winding and weaving way down the hill. There were a few spots where they had to do a little scrambling or go slowly, watching every footstep. In patches, the path had deteriorated to scree, which slid and shifted underfoot.
Maddeningly, the scree repeatedly got into Karus’s sandals. It proved a serious irritation. Both he and Dennig were forced to stop a couple of times and remove the tiny stones before continuing on.
The two rangers were out front with Amarra. Karus and Dennig were bringing up the rear. The day had turned warm and humid. The heat, combined with their pace, had Karus perspiring heavily.
Wiping sweat away from his face, he scanned the sky again. It had clouded up within the last hour and become heavily overcast. With the humidity on the air, Karus considered it was quite possible that they were in store for some rain. He hoped not, for, should Fortuna smile upon them, they would be on dragonback shortly, heading back to Carthum. The wind was bad enough. Karus did not want to add rain and make the journey any more miserable. Still, if they managed to escape before whatever-it-was arrived, Karus knew he would count himself lucky.
Unfortunately, there had been no sign of the dragons. He wondered why they had yet to return and hoped that something hadn’t happened to them. Karus worried that whatever was on the way would arrive before the dragons got back. He tried to push his worries aside but found they kept returning. He felt as if he were missing something. It nagged at him. Karus did not like that feeling, for he had long since learned to trust his gut.
His knees had begun to ache with the descent down the hill. He did not like that either. The pace they had set was punishing, and his knees cried out in protest. Karus wasn’t as young as he used to be. Climbing a hill never seemed to be a problem, but going down any type of incline caused his knees to ache terribly after just a few minutes. Bad knees were a common complaint for long-service veterans and usually signaled the beginning of the end, a sign retirement was right around the corner. Years of marching miles upon untold miles while carrying a full kit had taken its inevitable toll. Karus felt it with every step down the hill.
He consoled himself with the knowledge that the pain was transitory, as the hill wasn’t large and they’d be to the bottom of it soon enough. He put the discomfort from his mind and soldiered along.
Within fifteen minutes the camp came into sight. The extinguished fire and the packs were lying where they’d been left. He was relieved that no one else was there, waiting. Si’Cara led the way off the path, making a beeline for the camp. Tal’Thor and Amarra were right behind her.
Karus started off the path, following, with Dennig bringing up the rear. Their pace slowed, as they had to work their way through the low-lying brush, careful to avoid the prickly bushes. Still, they moved quickly, and before Karus knew it, he was stumbling into the camp.
Breathing heavily and parched, he grabbed one of the canteens, unstopped it, tipped it back, and drank greedily. Having been left sitting out in the suns with the packs, the water was warm, but incredibly refreshing. Amarra, to his right, was bent over, one hand on a knee, holding her staff loosely. She was working to catch her breath. He handed the canteen over to her as she straightened, holding her hand to her side as if she had a stitch of discomfort. She drank just as deeply. He grabbed a spare canteen and splashed some water on his face, washing away the dust. He did the same to his arms, then drank the canteen dry.
“Do you still feel it coming?” Karus asked when his breathing was better under control.
“I do.” Amarra gripped her staff tightly. “Danger is about.”
He did not like the sound of that.
“It makes my skin crawl.” Amarra pulled her braid over her shoulder and ran her hand along it.
“Karus, do you have that bandage?” Si’Cara asked, drawing his attention. Both elves were barely winded.
“I do,” Karus said and went to his pack. He rummaged around in it briefly before pulling out a fresh bandage long enough to be wrapped around Tal’Thor’s head. He tossed it to Si’Cara.
“Sit,” Si’Cara said to Tal’Thor.
“We should move into the trees,” Tal’Thor said.
“Sit,” Si’Cara ordered. She tapped her foot impatiently when Tal’Thor failed to move.
“We can tend to my wound in the forest,” Tal’Thor said.
“It will only take but a moment. The sooner it is tended to the better,” Si’Cara said. “Do not make me ask again, for I will not.”
Tal’Thor scowled at his wife. Then, like an obedient child, he sat down and bent his head toward her. Si’Cara carefully examined the wound, probing with her fingers. Tal’Thor winced but beyond that displayed no discomfort.
“I have some vinegar.” Karus pulled the small jar out of the pack and held it up for her to see. “Do you want it?”
“Thank you.”
Si’Cara took it, unstopped the jar, sniffed at the contents. She nodded with approval. Turning back to her husband, she first rinsed the wound out with water from a canteen. She used two entire canteens, which saw Tal’Thor thoroughly drenched. Next, she poured a little bit of vinegar directly onto the wound. Tal’Thor grimaced. Karus sympathized, for wounds and vinegar did not mix well.
“Hurts,” Tal’Thor said as Si’Cara added a little more vinegar.
“Don’t be such a baby,” Si’Cara said. “It’s only a small cut. The bump makes it feel worse than it is. The vinegar will keep it from festering.”
Si’Cara studied the wound and poured on more vinegar. She handed the bottle back to Karus. Apparently satisfied she had cleaned the wound out sufficiently, she wrapped his head in the bandage and tied off the end in knots so it would hold. She looked over her work with a pleased expression and then stepped back.
“Don’t scratch at it,” Si’Cara said reproachfully as Tal’Thor came to his feet. He shot her another scowl.
“We should get into the trees,” Tal’Thor said to Karus. “At least until the dragons arrive. I believe it may be safer if we are under cover. Whatever the High Priestess feels is coming will likely look for us in the fortress first. I think it is only logical, for it is what I would do.”
“I agree with Tal,” Si’Cara said. “The trees are the safe bet.”
Dennig was leaning heavily upon the head of his axe, the handle on the ground. The dwarf was still sucking in great gulps of air between draining a canteen dry.
“That sounds like a fine idea,” Dennig said, looking at the tree line. His gaze returned to the two rangers. “Are you certain there are none of your brothers and sisters around?”
“There is no elven settlement for miles,” Tal’Thor said. “Long ago, the warden declared the trees around this hill forbidden. None would dare trespass without first receiving her permission.”
“The warden.” Dennig spat upon the ground. “Bloody witch.”
“Right. Time to get cracking.” Karus moved toward the pack he had drawn the bandages from and returned the bottle of vinegar, making sure the top was securely stopped. He tied the pack closed and hoisted it onto hi
s shoulder. “Let’s get these into the trees and out of sight. Dennig, since you are so fond of the food we brought, grab that pack, will you?”
“What of the spent fire?” Dennig asked, not taking the bait but looking sourly upon the ash and half-burnt logs, which still smoldered. They gave an occasional pop but issued no flame. “Don’t you think this will stand out a bit?”
“I don’t see that we have a choice,” Karus said. “There’s no way to conceal it quickly, especially since we uprooted the grass around the fire. Hopefully whoever’s after us will not pass this way. With a bit of fortune, they won’t see the remains of our camp until we’re long gone, or at least until the dragons arrive. They’re so big, it’d be pretty hard to miss them.”
“Speaking of being long gone,” Dennig said, sounding exasperated, “where are our rides? Seems to me they would be more useful if they’d been waiting or had come back.”
“They’ll be along,” Amarra said, hoisting up a pack. She sounded certain. “Kordem and Cyln’phax would not leave us stranded. There must be a very good reason they are delayed.”
“Can you call them?” Dennig asked after her. “Like dogs?”
“No,” Amarra said as she started for the trees a few yards away. “I cannot.”
Si’Cara grabbed her pack and one of Amarra’s and began making her way toward the forest. Tal’Thor shouldered a couple of packs and started off after her.
“Well, that’s downright disappointing,” Dennig grumbled. “To be off hunting, when they should be here.”
Amarra stopped and looked back at the dwarf. “I would not think of them as pets or hounds for hunting. They are people like us, just different.”
“People, you say?” Dennig sounded as if he seriously doubted such a thing were possible. “Bloody dragons as people?”
“Yes,” Amarra affirmed, fixing the dwarf with her piercing gaze. “People, and don’t forget it.”
Dennig gave her an unhappy frown as he picked up the pack containing their food supplies. The dwarf mumbled something under his breath and then started for the forest.
Karus thought Amarra looked troubled as she turned away and continued on, picking up her pace the closer she got to the trees. Whatever the danger was, it was very near and too close for his comfort. At least they’d be safer hidden in the trees. He glanced around their camp once more and then started after her.
As he passed into the trees, with the shade of the canopy settling over them like a shroud, Karus could not help but feel a sense of relief. It was an old forest, full of the giant trees. The air was cooler and the forest smelled strongly of decay, the previous season’s leaves lying over a thick carpet of moss crunching underfoot. At least they were now out of view.
Amarra stopped a few yards in and looked back, waiting for the rest of the party to catch up.
“Should we go farther?” Amarra asked, dropping her pack to the soft forest floor.
Tal’Thor looked briefly around and said something in Elven to Si’Cara, who replied.
Karus was concerned that if they went too deep into the forest, the dragons might have difficulty finding them, let alone getting down to them. The tree canopy high above was quite thick. He turned to look back the way they had come. The light under the shade of the massive giants was dim, almost like it was dusk and not the middle of the day. Beyond the tree line, despite it being overcast, the land was bathed in a far brighter light. It was an interesting contrast, almost as if they had gone from the world of light into a one of perpetual shade and darkness, which, in a way, they had. Very little sunlight ever reached the floor of this forest, as evidenced by the thick carpets of moss.
Thunder rumbled off in the distance. It sounded like a cavalry charge.
“No dragons to take us away, and with some nameless threat on the way,” Dennig grumbled. “Now rain is coming. Things just keep getting better and better.”
“Perhaps you would have liked it better,” Karus said, “if I’d left you all nice and cozy in the warden’s cell?”
“Hah … hah … hah,” Dennig said, shaking his axe at Karus for emphasis. “I was wrong about you. You really do have a way of brightening a lad’s mood, now, don’t you?”
“We think this should be fine,” Tal’Thor said, setting the packs down next to Si’Cara’s and also looking back the way they had come. “If need be, we can easily move deeper into the forest.”
Karus wasn’t so sure about that. Despite his concern about the dragons being able to find them, he knew he would feel more comfortable going a little farther away from the tree line, making it that much more difficult for them to be spotted.
“I—” Whatever Amarra had been about to say was abruptly and savagely cut off. She gave a soft grunt that came with a meaty-sounding thump. Karus spun around in time to see her fall to the ground, where she landed in a heap.
She didn’t move.
Karus blinked. His heart stopped cold. He wanted to run to her, but then his mind kicked into gear as the elves brought up their bows.
They were under attack.
He dropped his own pack and drew his sword. The moment he touched the handle, he felt once again the odd tingle run from his palm up his arm. There was something strangely comforting about it. The shade under the trees lightened just a tad. Karus’s aches and pains faded, particularly those in his knees, which had been badly used running down the hill. It was a peculiar feeling, and for a heartbeat or two, Karus wondered on it. But then he pushed the strange feeling aside and chalked it all up to the prospect of an impending fight.
He scanned around, peering into the dimness between the massive trunks. Shadowy figures were emerging from the trees all around them. Something flashed out from the dimness, and before he could react, it struck him hard in his chest.
Karus found himself on his back, staring up at the leafy canopy high above. There was an intense pain in his chest. His entire body tingled, his fingers and toes having gone numb. He struggled to draw breath, for whatever had hit him had also stolen his wind. There was a thud nearby as a heavy body hit the ground. Without looking, he was certain it was Dennig.
A shout rang out. It sounded like Elven to his ears. Struggling to breathe, Karus rolled over onto his side. The shadowy figures he had spotted were rushing forward toward them. He dragged himself onto all fours, the feeling coming back to his fingers and toes.
When he had been hit, he’d lost his sword. It lay a few feet away. The pain in his chest was terribly intense, but he could feel it begin to fade away. Karus put a hand to his armor where he’d been struck. It felt warm to the touch, hot even.
That had to have been bloody magic, Karus thought. After several heartbeats, he was finally able to draw a ragged breath. Sweet air filled his lungs. It felt wonderful as he sucked in another gulp.
There were more shouts. Karus glanced around again and saw that their attackers were elves. He made a dive for the sword. A booted foot stomped down painfully upon his hand. A blade appeared before his eyes.
“I don’t think so,” a voice said in Common.
Karus froze, then looked up the blade of the sword and saw one of the warden’s guards standing over him. Karus felt the chill touch of the metal blade press against his throat, the razor-sharp edge scratch against the stubble under his chin. The elf removed his foot from Karus’s hand, then switched the blade to the flat side and pushed a little. Karus got the meaning of what the elf wanted and sat up, kneeling. The elf withdrew the sword and moved around behind him, standing right over Karus.
The message was clear. He was a prisoner.
Karus counted two dozen elves, with several more emerging from amongst the trees. Not only were the warden’s guards present, but there were also rangers. Tal’Thor and Si’Cara had been surrounded. Two rangers aimed nocked arrows at them. Karus watched as a fellow ranger stepped forward and took Si’Cara’s bow, handing it off to another. He removed her daggers, then disarmed Tal’Thor as well. Both held their hands up in the air and
were thoroughly patted down. Neither Si’Cara nor Tal’Thor looked pleased at their current predicament.
Karus’s eyes went to Amarra. She lay where she had fallen, unmoving. Karus felt a stab of fear that she had been grievously wounded or perhaps even killed. Whatever she’d been hit with, they had wanted to bring her down. He hoped she was just incapacitated, perhaps knocked cold … anything but dead. He wanted to go to her, but couldn’t.
To his right, Dennig was also forced to sit up. The guard roughly gripped Dennig’s hair and pulled him into a sitting position.
“You bloody … High Born bastard,” Dennig growled, balling his fists helplessly. “You better kill me, because if I get free, I’m gonna smash that pretty boy smirk off your face.”
The elf hit Dennig in the back of the head with the pommel of the sword. The dwarf went down and rolled on the ground, grabbing the back of his head with both hands. Karus saw blood seep through the fingers.
“Keep talking, dwarf,” the elf said, “and I promise I will kill you. One less dwarf will make this world a better place. Now get up, filthy ground dweller, before I lose my patience.”
Groaning, Dennig sat back up, glaring daggers at the elf, but he said nothing further. He shot a look that spoke of longing at his axe, lying a handful of feet away. He tore his gaze away from his beloved axe and shared a frustrated look with Karus that was saturated with bitterness and anger.
Off to his left, Karus saw movement. The warden and the wizard were walking towards them. Karus briefly closed his eyes. He realized his mistake. Amarra had sensed the warden’s coming. He should’ve expected it, anticipated it, considered it even. They had been safer on the hill but had unwittingly entered the trees, her domain. Karus let out an aggravated breath.
There was a commotion to the right. Si’Cara and Tal’Thor had been brought closer and made to kneel down. Two rangers stood behind both of them. Si’Cara exchanged heated words with one of the rangers. Tal’Thor said something as well. The ranger behind Si’Cara roughly grabbed her by the throat and pulled out a dagger. The other ranger placed his long-bladed dagger against Tal’Thor’s throat. Both became very still.
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