The Demon's Chamber

by Brian Spielbauer

  The thoughts anchored Tegan’s resolve, as Milan’s words of encouragement always did for him. “I will find you,” Tegan compelled his wife. He tried desperately to reach out to her, but his arms would not obey his command. He then asked, “Where is Jedrek, where is our son?”

  “He is with….” Milan started to say, and then looked past Tegan. She then looked him directly in his eyes, and commanded in a sharp voice, “Wake!”

  He woke with a jerk, and he looked all around him, searching for Milan. The wound of her absence ripped open once again. His frantic search in vain, all around him was quiet and dark, the fire from the evening had all but died out. He heard footsteps in the woods, and rolled onto his knees, hoping to see Milan’s approach. He grabbed his axe with one hand, waking Jaric with the other.

  A harpy peeked out of the trees cautiously, looking over their camp. Seeing no one, she began to step slowly into the clearing, watching for her prey. Jaric jumped at her, tackling her to the ground. She squealed as she fought to get away, her wings ripped violently through the air trying to break free. She was quite a squirmy thing, and slipped out of his grip several times. Tegan tried to grab her too, but was late and the harpy disappeared into the trees with a shriek and was gone.

  “Damn, I missed her,” Jaric exclaimed.

  “What the hell were you gonna do with her if you caught her?” Tegan asked, not sure why Jaric tried to grab her in the first place.

  Jaric thought for a second and said with a slight smile, “She was kinda pretty, probably whatever I could get away with!”

  Tegan, with his dream still hanging just out of his memories reach, commanded, “Wake up these two and let’s get going, we have been delayed enough. There’s gonna be a whole swarm of them here soon, Kyrie warned us about them.”

  Erol and Timo slept through the quick skirmish and were not too happy about being jolted awake by Jaric.

  “Why can’t we go in the morning?” Timo asked. “The sun hasn’t even risen yet! We marched all day! My feet are sore, my legs hurt, and my stomach is starting to eat itself.”

  “Because I said so,” Tegan scowled as he gave Timo another stern kick to his rump, snapping the lazy dwarf fully awake.

  Erol said nothing, but stood tall and was ready to go.

  They stalked through the woods with no more disturbances as the sun began to climb in the sky. Erol looked up in a tree and saw something was trapped, “What’s that?” he asked.

  They all looked up as Tegan walked over to the base of the tree. “It’s a young harpy caught in a net, she must have been trapped by the gargoyles.”

  “Leave her, she will only slow us down,” Jaric urged, his mood quite changed from earlier when he tried to grab one for himself.

  “No, Milan would never forgive me for not sparing another the same fate I am trying to save her from,” Tegan explained. He quickly scampered up the tree to reach the harpy, who didn’t know if she was being saved or taken by someone else. The closer he climbed, the more she curled up to avoid the contact.

  Tegan tried to ease her fears, “I am going to help you, please stay calm. You will soon be safe.”

  Despite his kind words, the harpy shied away from him. She was frightened of the dwarf, having never been around one before.

  Tegan found it hard to free her from the bindings, and then he heard from Jaric below, “Hurry! They are coming back for her!”

  Tegan looked up to see two gargoyles. They were still far off but returning for their prey, and they were closing in quickly. Tegan thought fast and climbed even higher, hiding behind the trunk of the tree.

  The two gargoyles flew in for the defenseless harpy. “Couldn’t get away?” the first one screeched as he reached for the trapped harpy. He barely got the words out of his mouth when Tegan dropped from above. He got both gargoyles in headlocks they could not free themselves of. All three tumbled to the ground, bouncing through the breaking branches, landing where the others were waiting below. Jaric and Erol each restrained one as Tegan got back on his feet, grabbing his axe.

  “Where are my wife and son!” Tegan demanded to the one Jaric held.

  “You will get no…,” was all the gargoyle got out before Tegan took its head off with a viscous swing of his axe. The blood splattered on the surprised Jaric, who was barely spared of the well-aimed swing. Tegan moved on to the next one, demanding again, “You have one chance to get this right, where is my family?”

  The gargoyle looked at his headless comrade, and then back to Tegan, and said, “You will never see her again.”

  Tegan did not pause nor show mercy, as he ended its life in the same manner as the first. Erol, having witnessed Jaric’s predicament, quickly stepped back just before the axe sliced the gargoyle in two.

  “Wrong!” Tegan grunted as the head hit the ground and rolled. Tegan wasted no time considering the dead gargoyles and again climbed the tree toward the harpy. He drew his knife to cut the ropes off the captive harpy, who was trembling at the horrific scene she just witnessed.

  Tegan held her close as he climbed back to the ground, and at the bottom he set her down. “You are safe to go back to your people.”

  She saw they were not going to hurt her, and felt blessed she was saved. “Thank you for freeing me. I am Angelica, daughter of our queen. I will do anything in my power to repay you,” she said as she gave Tegan a long embrace, despite his attempt to back away.

  “No thanks are needed, I could not let you be had by them. No one deserves that,” Tegan replied as he finally was able to pry her off him. He was still angry that he was not able to get more from the gargoyles, but he knew they wouldn’t talk.

  Then Angelica grabbed Tegan’s soul, “I overheard your words with the gargoyle, is your wife the one they took captive?”

  Tegan’s heart soared at the sound of the news, and he quickly responded, “Yes, did you see her, did she get away?”

  “She was with them as they flew over and saw us. My friends escaped, except me. Your wife was with them, she was in a cage.”

  “Was she alone? Did she carry a baby?” he implored Angelica.

  “I do not believe so, but I could not tell. I am sorry I do not know more,” Angelica said, sad at the pain and desperation she felt in Tegan’s voice.

  The wind picked up, churning the leaves and dirt as they began to flurry all around. A buzzing sound, like that of a thousand wings, made them cover their ears. A legion of harpies suddenly descended all around. They were surrounding Tegan and his friends, who raised their arms to try and block the debris from getting in their eyes. They carried single-pointed spears, their weapon of choice. They were a race, mostly of women, that were trained for fighting. They were fit, muscular, and only wore a short skirt and halter top. These were outfits that revealed their stunning physique. They only had one goal, which was to preserve the future of their race. This meant two things: they needed to defend themselves against attack, and they also needed to attract male suitors. They were amply prepared to do both.

  “What have we here?” the lead one asked. “Harpy thieves, just like the gargoyles!” She wore a bright gold crown. Her nearly-white hair curled past her shoulders. She was the one Jaric attempted to tackle earlier, and she eyed him with obvious disdain.

  Jaric gulped uneasily, recognizing the leader. She heard his nervous swallow and lowered her eyes to his, along with the point of her spear. “And you! What were your plans with my daughter?”

  Jaric searched for words, but everything that entered his mind would have ended with him being stuck with her weapon. He fumbled, but was relieved as Angelica stepped in to save him.

  “Mother,” Angelica said, stepping around Tegan into her mother’s sight. “They saved me, can’t you see the dead gargoyles at our feet? If not for them, I would be in that dreaded mountain by now,” Angelica said, defending the dwarves and Erol.

  “Angelica, are you all right?” the queen asked, as Angelica ran into her open arms. She then looked the dwarves over, unap
provingly, and looked back to her daughter, “Did they touch you?”

  “No mother, I am fine. They did nothing wrong to me. I am safe now, and I owe that to this dwarf. He is the one that saved me.”

  “What is your name?” the queen asked, brushing by Jaric, and approaching Tegan.

  “Tegan, son of Moro, King of Tunder Bin. I have left my home on a mission to save my wife and child from the gargoyles,” Tegan explained, trying to quell his building emotions over the endless number of delays.

  The harpy studied the group, “I am Tangela, queen of the harpies. This is my only daughter, Angelica, which you saved from unmentionable pain and death. What help may we be to you? Name your price.”

  “I ask no price for doing what is right. I only ask that you show us where the gargoyles are. I beg you to let us go with no further delay,” Tegan said.

  “We will get you there ourselves, at least as far we dare go,” the queen responded, Tegan’s sincerity obvious in his request.

  “We have information of a secret entrance on the backside of the mountain and are hoping to be able to enter unseen,” Timo chimed in, trying to gather the attention of the young harpy whom. He thought very attractive.

  Tangela answered grimly, wanting no harm to come to her saviors, “That is a dangerous path. I would not recommend that to my worst enemy. If you succeed by that way, you will be the first.”

  Tegan asked in reply, “Do you know of a better, safer path? I must to get in to save my wife.”

  Tangela thought for a moment, knowing all paths in the mountain offered little hope. She conceded, “No, you are right. All paths are dangerous. That one is no worse than the others, and would certainly offer you the most surprise should you gain entrance. We will take you to the edge of the Tangled Forest, but I will not allow any of my females to go further.”

  “Thank you,” Tegan replied with a sigh of appreciation, “Your help will not be forgotten.”

  The queen had two of her females, along with Angelica, lead them. Before they left Tangela asked Tegan, “Do you have and males you could spare? We have many females that need mates. I know you are in a hurry, but it should not take long.” Angelica smiled at this last part, knowing some of her ladies would be very pleased to have of any these four for mates.

  “I will pass on your request, and send any that are interested,” Tegan said with a grin, as he looked at his companions. Jaric smiled, knowing he would have once been an eager volunteer.

  Tangela was disappointed, but knew the urgency of the mission they were on. “Perhaps another time.”

  Angelica, along with the two other harpies, led Tegan and his friends toward the border of their land and the Tangled Forest. They walked most of the day through rolling hills, which were filled with trees of all kinds, some of which Tegan had never seen. The leaves provided total protection from above, so their movement was mostly undetected.

  “You have a very pretty name,” Timo said to Angelica, trying to get her attention.

  “Thank you,” she answered with a smile. Angelica was a young harpy, and very pretty, even compared to the land of beauty she lived in. Timo could not take his eyes off her, and she knew it. “What is your name?”

  “Timo,” he said with a gulp, his voice cracking sharply, revealing his nervousness. The others laughed. Timo was very shy, and not too confident around females. He then walked a little taller and said, “I am a sorcerer.”

  “Really,” she turned to Timo, gaining excitement as she grabbed his arm with both of her hands, “So you can do amazing magic? Can you turn me into a human woman?” As she said the last part, she looked around in case either of the other harpies were close enough to hear.

  “Why would you want that?” Timo asked. He thought her perfect as she was, and could not understand why she would want to change.

  “I want to be human. I like to fly, but I can do without it. I want to live in a castle, and be a queen. Is that so strange?”

  Timo thought, and said, “No, I guess not. But you will be a queen anyway. Either way, I cannot do that yet. How about a dwarf woman?” he asked.

  “Would you like that?” Angelica asked, taking his hand, pulling him closer. Timo’s face grew red, having never been shown affection by a woman, other than his mother, before. He began to stumble with his words again, trying to find a right answer.

  “I’m hungry,” Erol blurted, having no sense of what was taking place.

  “Well, my hungry friend,” one of the two other harpies said with a smile, “We need to stop here anyway, so I suppose you can eat!”

  The two harpies walked along side Erol, amazed at his size. Both began gathering berries, not knowing there wouldn’t be enough berries in the entire forest to feed an ogre.

  They made camp and spent the night. Tegan allowed a small fire and they caught a wild boar to eat, which greatly pleased Erol. A local spring gave them water to drink and a chance to fill their skins. They slept well for several hours, with Timo and Angelica sharing a bedroll for the night. They had grown very fond of each other. The other harpy girls slept side by side on Erol, he made a great bed for them.

  All woke before dawn to a loud howl from just over the hill.

  “What was that?” asked Jaric, shaking off his sleep. The sound giving him chills that ran up his spine.

  “Those are the Tolltier. That is what guards the backside of the gargoyle’s mountain,” Angelica almost whispered, her fear of the Tolltier evident. She held Timo tightly, “They can tell we are here, and they will be watching for you. Wipe yourselves with the hide of the pig, it will help hide your smell.”

  “That pig stinks, I will not,” answered Timo, disgusted at the thought.

  “Timo, you must, you smell like me now! They will go for you for sure, they hate us! They know not to cross the line, and we would never cross theirs. They will be waiting for you, I can promise you that.”

  Timo and the others reluctantly wiped themselves down with the hide, the smell woke them up quickly. Then they crept up the short hill, unsure of what they would find ahead. Toward the top there was a clearing with no trees for about fifty paces. At the end of it were tall statues carved right out of trees that had been limbed. On the statues were carved hideous creatures. They were large, hairy, and had jagged teeth. They resembled people somewhat, but were far larger.

  “So,” Tegan began somewhat disheartened, “I suppose those are the Tolltier.”

  “Yes,” answered Angelica, “That is the line we dare not cross.”

  “I quite understand why you wouldn’t cross that line, but what’s stopping them from coming over here?” asked Jaric.

  “Well, dwarf, we can be some tough wenches when we want to be.” Angelica said with a grin, as she lifted her spear and pointed it at Jaric.

  “I’ll say,” added Timo quietly, which got him a quick look and smile from Angelica.

  “Anyway,” continued Angelica, “we control the air. We have watchers of the line who take turns patrolling this area. When they try to cross, which is seldom, we bomb them with rocks and spears. This is why we keep the line clear on our side. On their side, they let the trees grow to protect themselves. We dare not fight them hand to hand, they are far too strong. Tolltier seek no captives, they will only kill. After you cross into their land, you must get to where you are going quickly. Since they are looking for us, they will ignore the smell of the hogs, hopefully. Start no fires, and do not be out at night. You absolutely need to get wherever you are going before the sun goes down.”

  “We will need to get through this fast, grab what you need before we enter. There will be no going back,” said Tegan.

  “They are most active at night. From your map, I guess you may have to spend one night in the woods. If you do, do not sleep!” were Angelica’s final instructions. Then she looked at Timo and said, “Please come back to me!” Angelica gave Timo a final kiss, and then she left for home, hoping to leave before they saw her cry. Her feelings for Timo were as strong as
her fear for where her new friends were going.

  Tegan drew his axe and set his jaw. He needed to get to Milan, and to do that he needed to get through this last test. He looked at the others and said, “Are we ready?” A quick nod from Erol and Timo with a hearty ‘yes’ from Jaric gave him his answer.

  Tegan led them across the clearing through grass that rose above all their heads, save Erol. It seemed to grab at their legs as they tried to pass, but at least it gave them some cover. They reached the far side and went up to one of the statues of the Tolltier. It was even more intimidating up close. On the other side of the trunk was a carving of a harpy, but it had mostly been scratched off by the Tolltier. The hate was evident.

  “These things are big and nasty, I hope we can avoid them,” Timo with a gulp. “I can’t die now, I finally found a woman that doesn’t detest me.”

  “If there are any hungry ones, they are coming right for us,” answered Jaric, as he smelled himself, reeking of pig.

  “Quiet, it isn’t pig they are looking for,” Tegan said, hushing his troop. They silently entered the Tangled Forest, unsure what lay ahead. It was well named, as the brush was very thick and inter-twined, almost unpassable. Very few rays of light penetrated all the way to the ground, as a dull glow was all they had to light their way.

  The forest was very quiet, with only the sound of a lonely bird breaking the silence every so often. There were no signs of deer, or any other wildlife. The Tolltier must be good hunters, and seem to have thoroughly taken every animal in their region already.

  They scrambled most of the day through the thick forest. Every time they snapped a stick with a misplaced step (usually by Timo) their hearts raced and they searched frantically for any sign they might be detected. Timo was exhausted, but not even he was asking for a break. They only wanted to get to the back entrance as quick as possible.

  They heard little on their walk, and were feeling pretty good about getting through unseen. Their guard never dropped though, and Tegan’s axe never left his hand. Eventually they found a path of sorts, probably one made by the Tolltier. It was dangerous traveling on it, but at least it allowed them to travel much faster.