“Here, I’ll show you how it’s done. Just in case anything happens to me,” Drue said, motioning for Pike to help him carry the massive beast.
“Fine,” Pike said, leaning down and lifting the back end of the bear up. “It’s not like we skinned a lot of bears under the Fortune Ocean.”
“What about fish?” Drue asked, causing Pike to drop the bear.
“Fish are like our family,” Pike said, staring at Drue awkwardly. “We shared some similar traits – like half our body.”
“Oh, yeah,” Drue said, faking a smile. “Sorry.”
Pike shook his head as they lugged the bear back to their camping site. For the next several hours, Pike watched in horror as Drue peeled the skin from the dead beast’s carcass. Then, when he was done and had hung the coat up to dry, Drue turned to Pike, flipping the knife in his bloody hands.
“Okay,” Drue said. “What’s your favorite part?”
“What do you mean? Like, did I like when you poured blood all over the ground or when you peeled the skin from his face?” Pike said in disgust.
“No,” Drue said, chuckling. “Which part of the bear do you like to eat? I personally like the leg area.”
“Wait, we are going to eat him?” Pike said, looking at the guts spilling from its belly.
“What did you think was for dinner?” Drue responded.
“Whatever, I don’t care. Just don’t make me watch you do it,” Pike said, standing and looking for a stream to wash his hands off. “I’ll be back.”
Pike trampled through the woods, throwing part of his cloak back. Though the air around them was quite cold, Pike was sweating after carrying that thing through the woods. He cringed thinking about the elk they were going to have to drag back. He found the creek and bent down, watching the red blood flow from his hands and down the stream. He dangled his hands in the cold water, closing his eyes and thinking about his days swimming freely with the ocean currents. He flinched as he could feel the cut on his palm he had gotten trying to help skin the bear. Pike pulled his hand out of the stream and held it up in front of his face. He watched as the water dripped down from his fingertips and began to move in circles around the cut. The pain stopped as the wound began to close, leaving no remnants of the injury he acquired.
Pike shook the excess water from his hands and looked at his palm, squinting at it carefully. He was amazed. The water had healed his cut. He pulled his dagger from his side and gritted his teeth as he sliced across his arm. He yelled out in pain before sticking his arm down into the flowing stream. Pike watched as the water moved and flowed around the cut, washing the blood away and leaving nothing more than some water droplets where the gash once stood.
“Hey,” Drue said, sitting down next to Pike, and causing him to jump. “Oh, sorry. Jumpy today, aren’t you?”
Pike watched as Drue washed the blood from his hands, looking closely at a cut on his thumb. Pike grabbed Drue’s hand and held it close to his face. Drue lifted an eyebrow as Pike dipped his hand in the water and dropped it over top of the cut. Pike closed his eyes and moved his hands over the gash. When he opened them, the cut was still there, blood running down his thumb.
“You okay, man?” Drue asked, raising one eyebrow. “Maybe you should rest.”
“Huh, I guess it only works on me,” Pike said to himself.
“What works on you?” Drue asked, withdrawing his hand and sticking it under the water to wash away the blood.
“Never mind,” Pike said, standing up and looking around. “What’s next?”
“Well, we gotta let the bear skin dry overnight, and it’s getting late, so the elk will have already bedded down. I’m gonna get the fire going and start cooking,” Drue explained as they made their way back to the camp. “I threw the carcass of the bear about one hundred yards down the path so we don’t attract any other animals.”
“What can I do?” Pike asked, feeling useless.
“If you wanna set up the beds, that would be great,” Drue replied, feeling strange about bossing a royal member around. “We should get to sleep early since we gotta get an elk tomorrow.”
“Right,” Pike said, turning to the two blankets Drue had brought and collecting leaves to make a more comfortable palette.
They sat around the fire, deep in the NoSolo woods, feasting on their catch after a long day’s work. Pike still wasn’t quite used to the way humans did things or the amount of energy it took to lift and move objects, and was surprised by the soreness he felt in his legs and shoulders. He finished his food and tossed the leaf he was eating off of into the fire, watching the cinders float through the air like fireflies. They had trekked pretty far into the woods to shield themselves from the hunters on their trail. Pike still hadn’t revealed his magic cloak to Drue and wanted to wait until it was absolutely necessary.
The next morning, they woke before the sun, checking the bear hide, and heading out to the fields to find an elk. This would provide them both with a fur covering for when the winds began to pick up and the snow fell from the sky. Pike followed along behind Drue, watching carefully where he stepped, trying not to make too much noise. He watched for hours as Drue’s impatience grew. Drue took shot after shot at the elk in the field, missing every single time and driving them to another area. Finally, Pike walked over and put up his hand.
“All right, wait here. I got this,” Pike said.
“I don’t know, man; those things can be pretty mean,” Drue said, scared that Pike was going to do something stupid.
“Trust me,” Pike responded before disappearing out into the woods.
Drue sat down and watched, looking for Pike but not seeing where he had gone. The elk continued to graze, not feeling spooked by anything, making Drue even more curious. He kept his eyes fixed on the large antlered animals when something caught his eye. Next to the elk, the reflection of a sword appeared before plunging deep into the animal and retracting. Drue stood looking out at the field, unsure of what he just witnessed. Once the animal had taken its last breath, Pike pulled his hood down, reappearing in the field.
“Whoa,” Drue shouted. “That was crazy!”
Pike smiled, proud of his accomplishments. He turned his head toward Drue, hearing a snap in the woods. Pike reached his hands up, crying out to Drue to look out as the tree behind him began to fall. He could feel energy swirling around him, and he watched as a white light shot from the palms of his hands, hitting the falling tree and turning it to dust. Pike closed his palms quickly and looked over at Drue in panic. Drue dusted the sawdust from his hair and looked around wildly.
“What just happened?” Drue asked breathlessly.
“I don’t know; it was falling, and I…then there was…there was so much light,” Pike said, looking down at his palms.
“So, what you are saying is…” Drue said as he raced down to the field. “You are saying you didn’t know you could turn things to dust?”
“That’s not all,” Pike said, grabbing Drue’s arm and pulling him over to the nearby stream. “Watch this.”
Pike pulled his dagger from his bag and sliced it across his arm. Drue winced as the blade connected to Pike’s skin. He plunged his arm down in the water and watched as the fog of blood flowed away from his arm, leaving nothing but healed skin. Drue’s eyes grew big as he inspected the disappearing wound.
“Could you do this as a mer…uh, mer…,” Drue said, struggling with the terminology.
“Merman? No, I mean, I don’t think so,” Pike replied, looking down at his arm. “I just realized it today.”
“I wonder if you could make a cart to drag that elk back with,” Drue joked.
Pike looked up at the sky as the sound of dragon wings echoed through the forest. He ducked down and threw his hood over his head, leaving Drue looking around in wonder. When the dragons had passed, he put his hood back down and looked over at Drue.
“They are looking for me,” Pike said. “We gotta move. Leave the elk. We will make sure to get something i
n a couple of days.”
Pike and Drue ran quickly through the woods, ducking and dodging tree limbs and shrubbery along the way. As they approached the campsite, a dark feeling came over Pike, and he put his hand out, stopping Drue. Pike put his fingers over his lips and stepped carefully toward the clearing. Through the branches, he could see the ogres searching through their things. Fear dropped into his stomach, and he turned back toward Drue, motioning for him to crouch down. Pike undid the ties of his cloak, crouched next to Drue, and swung it over both of them. Just as they disappeared, the larger of the three ogres crashed through the bushes and looked around, his stench filling the air around them.
The giant ogre expanded his nostrils, sniffing at the air. He took a step forward, bringing his body inches from Drue and Pike. The two men froze, holding their breath and waiting for the ogre to move back. The beast snorted angrily and pushed back through to the campsite.
“They ain’t here,” the ogre growled.
With those words, the loud clap Pike had heard before echoed through the forest as the ogres disappeared into thin air. The two men sat still, still hidden under the cloak, waiting to see if they returned. After a few moments, Pike stuck his head through the opening, bringing their bodies back into view. They crept toward the bushes and looked out, realizing the ogres were long gone. Drue let out a deep breath and bent over, holding his knees. Pike patted him on the back, trying to calm his nerves.
“Told you it would be dangerous,” Pike muttered.
“Why are they after you?” Drue asked, looking up at Pike. “Because you are going to get your bride?”
“No,” Pike responded, trying to decide whether to tell him the truth. “Because of this.”
Pike swung his cloak back, revealing the glimmering handle of the Dead Sword. Drue looked down at it, blinking, unsure of what he was referring to. Pike rolled his eyes and jiggled the sword.
“It’s the Sword of the Dead. It is the only known object that can take down the Dead King,” Pike whispered. “They can sense it, so I have to keep it hidden under this cloak at all times. They must have picked up the trail when I used it on that elk.”
“Well, at least they are gone,” Drue replied, looking around.
“Yes, but we are no longer safe here,” Pike replied, pulling the bear skin down and rolling it up. “We need to keep moving. There is a town not far from here. It is the capital of NoSolo; I think it is called Krifton. We can find a hotel and food there, possibly buy a second skin.”
“All right, I’ll get packed up,” Drue said, hurrying around packing his sack. “I could use some cold mead anyways. I wish that was one of your powers.”
“Me too,” Pike said chuckling, lightening the mood. “I need to send a letter anyway.”
“To who?” Drue asked.
“To an ally, someone who has been watching out for me,” Pike replied, thinking about Leonetta and Ardontis. “They need to know there are hunters.”
“Leonetta…wait, do you mean the princess of the fae?” Drue asked with wonder in his voice. “That is a pretty hefty ally.”
Pike smiled at the thought of having such a crucial partner. The two finished packing and set out through the woods, careful to watch their path. Krifton was not far from the edge of NoSolo Forest, but they had ventured far enough into the woods that they wouldn’t reach Krifton until right before dark. The forest was dark and thick, and it took quite an effort to keep their momentum up, but Pike pushed Drue to make the wood’s edge. As the light beamed down through the canopy, Pike listened to the birds chirping and the scurrying of woodland creatures through the leaves.
The men paused for a moment to allow Drue to shift his bag, and Pike looked up at the treetops, letting the warm sun hit his face. As his eyes closed, he could hear the melodic tune of a fae melody swimming across the breeze. Pike stopped and looked around, expecting to see Leonetta emerge, but there was nothing. He took a few more steps and put his hand on Drue’s shoulder.
“Do you hear that?” Pike asked.
“Hear what?” Drue whispered, looking around him.
“Shhh, listen,” Pike hushed.
“Pike, where are you?” the voice hummed softly through the trees.
“Who is that?” Drue asked.
“It is Leonetta,” Pike said, walking forward toward the edge of the forest. “She is searching for me.”
Pike ran out into the field beyond the edge of the woods and looked around, but he did not see her anywhere. There was something about her voice that made him feel as if she were looking for him, but why would she be? Drue caught up to Pike and looked around, squinting in the setting sun.
“Come on, we need to get to Krifton before the sun goes down,” Drue said, patting Pike on the shoulder.
Pike looked around for another minute before jogging off to catch up with Drue. They made it to the city gates just as the sun set below the horizon. The guards seemed suspicious of the two men, but after some sweet talking by Drue, they were allowed into the city limits. Even at dusk, the town was busy, with merchants still peddling their goods and children running around the streets. Unlike the streets of Terragon, Krifton was clean and well put together. There was little sign of poverty inside the kingdom, and the solidly built buildings reminded Pike of the Cascading Seas.
“Here,” Pike said, handing Drue some coins. “Go get us a room at the inn and meet me at that pub. I have a message to send.”
“All righty,” Drue replied.
Pike made his way through the crowded streets, keeping his sword close to his side and hidden under his cloak. There was a small shop at the end of the dusty road, close to the palace gates where Pike could hire a messenger to take a parchment to the Vale. They had the royal seal on the door, and Pike knew that meant they worked for the NoSolo king, giving them credibility and confidentiality. As Pike entered the small shop, the man behind the desk looked up, eyeing Pike.
“I’d like to send parchment to the Vale,” Pike stated, approaching the desk.
“And to what town?” the man questioned Pike, but pulled out a slip.
“To the castle,” Pike replied. “In deliverance to Princess Leonetta.”
“Look, boy,” the man said, looking up with irritation, “not any commoner can send word to the princess.”
“I am not a commoner,” Pike replied, stepping forward in anger.
He watched as the man looked back up, his eyes growing wide as he began to step backward. Pike didn’t understand why he was having this response. The man skirted around the desk and bowed to someone behind Pike, taking off out the door. Pike put his hand on the butt of his sword, preparing for a fight.
“That won’t be necessary,” the man whispered, his hand covering Pike’s.
Someone had found him.
Chapter Six: Poison Arrows
Leonetta sat in the warm room looking out over the city, wondering what was taking so long. People milled in and out of their stations, selling their goods to the customers wandering the streets. Her time in this city reminded her of when she was hiding from the king, traveling around the Vale, waiting to go home. Ardontis stepped up behind the princess’ chair and put his hand on her shoulder.
“It won’t be long,” he said, feeling her nervous tension. “Your powers have become stronger; you have never tracked someone like that.”
“There is something familiar about this boy,” Leonetta said, thinking about the powers that she had seen Pike produce in her visions. “It is like he is one of us.”
“Maybe not a fae, but definitely someone of worth and power,” Ardontis responded. “Only time will tell if he becomes as useful as we believe him to be.”
A knock at the door drew their attention across the room. Ardontis pulled his robes closed, a dagger hidden in his sleeve. He walked to the door and cracked it, peering out at Holland. He moved back and opened the door quickly, standing to the side as the men entered the room.
“Why are you here?” Pike’s question sound
ed harsh, but Leonetta knew he meant no harm.
“I have been sent by the queen to bring you back,” Leonetta said softly, looking over at Pike.
“I will not go back until my wife has been recovered,” Pike replied.
“That’s exactly what I figured you would say,” Leonetta said, a small smile emerging. “And I agree.”
“Wait, what?” Pike was confused. If she agreed with him, why would she come all this way? “I don’t understand.”
“We were given an ultimatum. It seems my sister isn’t quite the calm and collected queen everyone was thinking she would be,” Leonetta said in her quiet, fae voice. “We know you can help us, and that is why we are here. We cannot say much more than this, but know we may not be traveling next to you, but we will be in the shadows, in the air, and nearby as you make your journey.”
“What about these powers I suddenly have?” Pike asked the question, unsure if they already knew what he was speaking of.
“There is so much more you have left to discover,” Leonetta whispered, a small smile on her face. “You are very special, Pike. One day soon, you will understand. Now, there is a young man stomping up the stairs right now, thinking you are in danger. Collect him, calm him, and get some rest. The coming days are full of darkness but you, my dear prince, will light the way.”
Pike stared at Leonetta for a moment before turning toward the door, listening to Drue threaten Holland’s life. Pike chuckled and flung open the door, watching as Holland stood back, grasping Drue’s fist and lifting an eyebrow. Drue’s face was wrought with anger, and sweat poured down his forehead.
“Does this human belong to you?” Holland asked, a snicker on his face.
“Drue,” Pike said, grabbing his arm, “may I introduce you to Holland, the former Commander of the Avalon forces.”
“Oooh,” Drue said, wide-eyed and sheepish. “You are the slayer of the mighty Osiris.”
“Word spreads fast,” Holland chuckled.
War of the Realms Box Set Page 41