by Tony Johnson
“There’s more!” Griegan nervously called, as four more of the savage beasts arrived from the north.
“With me!” Grizz yelled to a nearby warrior holding a spear, and together they charged their horses at the pack. Grizz swung Skullcleaver down and cut deeply into one, while the warrior jabbed his spear down through another direwolf’s head. The force of the strike made the tip of the spear pierce through the direwolf’s brain and come out under its jaw.
“Nice thrust!” Grizz called, but before the warrior could respond, a direwolf head-butted the man’s horse in the side, causing it to fall over. The warrior screamed out as his leg broke under the heavy stallion.
With the direwolf dizzy from the impact, Grizz easily sliced Skullcleaver deep into its body. The fourth direwolf jumped to attack him, but Grizz’s horse bucked and knocked it away with her front legs.
“Good girl!” Grizz complimented his steed and then swung his axe deep into the monster.
“Behind you!” he heard Willis yell, but it was not Grizz the warrior Elf was trying to warn. Grizz turned to see that a direwolf had crept up behind Captain Doyle. The Giant captain didn’t see the attack and Willis’s call came too late because the direwolf bit into Doyle’s long, dark-green cape, and tore him down from the saddle. With a vicious snarl, the monster then violently bit and ripped out the throat of the captain. A geyser of blood sprayed out of his neck. He succumbed to his injury instantaneously.
Willis sprinted forward and hacked away at the direwolf until it was dead.
Galvus and another warrior were severely injured. Captain Doyle and a warrior archer were dead, along with the eight dead direwolves that littered the path around them. The few remaining members of the direwolf pack shrunk into the shadows.
Dismounting his horse, Grizz checked on the spear-toting warrior whose leg was broken. He then walked over to the horse with a broken leg, raised Skullcleaver, and brought the axe down as quickly as a guillotine. Once a horse breaks its leg, it’s useless, Grizz knew. There’s no need for it to be in pain.
Captain Griegan checked Galvus and Willis, making sure they were okay.
“I’ve never seen them that aggressive before,” Galvus said to the captain through painful breaths as Grizz approached, supporting the limping warrior with the broken leg.
“None of these direwolves were big enough to leave a paw print even half the size of the one that was at the Den. We still haven’t found the monster we’re searching for.”
“What do we do now?” Willis asked. The four men turned to the captain.
“We need to get our injured back to the Den. The longer we stay out here, the riskier it is. We can’t survive another attack like that. The search is postponed for now.”
Willis used his sword to cut off Captain Doyle’s cape. With Grizz’s help, they rolled him up in it so he could be carried back to Serendale and properly buried. Captain Griegan did the same to the other warrior who was killed. “We lost two good men today,” he said. “They will be properly honored.”
Griegan, Willis, and Grizz carefully helped the injured men onto their horses and then tied down the two bodies to the backs of their warhorses. After everyone mounted, the five rode back towards Hunters’ Den. Not a word was spoken between them.
It was the middle of the night when they arrived. After tethering their steeds, they laid the two dead bodies on a bale of straw in a back room of the stable, where no animal would be able to access them for food.
There was not a soul to be found in the Den lobby, except for Mr. Sep, who woke up and came out to greet them. He didn’t ask what was wrong. He could tell by their gloomy faces and the two injured warriors that they had come under attack. Leaving for a moment, he soon came back with his wife, who was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She was carrying medical supplies, which she used to make splints for Galvus’s arm and the other Serendale warrior’s leg. Mr. Sep brought both men strong alcohol for their pain, and soon they were both fast asleep on a bench in the tavern lobby.
Captain Griegan turned to Willis, bypassing Grizz, not even making eye contact with the Dwarf. He is questioning if Captain Doyle would still be alive if he had listened to my advice that we all stick together with the other group, Grizz could tell. For the moment, he empathized with the man, seeing the guilt written all over the captain’s face. He’s blaming himself for their deaths.
“Willis, when the other group returns, tell them what happened. We’ll send our injured back with the escort to Serendale in the morning. Then the rest of us are going to find this monster and cut its head off.”
The captain didn’t wait for a reply. He headed upstairs to the only vacant room. Thinking of one more thing, he leaned over the balcony and told Willis, “You’ve earned your first piece of painted armor for defending Galvus after he got hurt. When we get back to Serendale you can paint one of your gauntlets. Light green or dark-green, your choice.”
Grizz smiled at the young warrior, happy for him. Willis quietly mumbled, “Thank you, sir,” to the captain who had already slammed his door shut behind him.
This should be a moment of celebration, but because of how the night unfolded, he’s not nearly as happy about his accomplishment as he should be.
Mr. Sep handed Grizz and Willis each a mug, a quarter of a cheese wheel, and put a pitcher of mead on the table between them while Mrs. Sep rummaged around and found some stale bread.
“Sorry it’s not fresh,” she apologized.
“I’m sure it will taste fine,” Grizz played it off with a wave of his hand.
“Do you two need anything else?” she asked politely.
When Willis didn’t answer and Grizz saw him staring off into space, he answered for both of them. “No, ma’am, this is more than enough. Thank you.”
“If you think of anything, we’re right through those doors,” she pointed to a room behind the bar. “Don’t be afraid to wake us if needed.” The husband and wife left the room, leaving the two men to themselves.
Seeing the warrior still in a state of shock, Grizz grabbed the mug Galvus had been drinking out of. There was still some of the hard ale in it.
“Here, drink this,” he shoved the cup into the Elf’s hands.
“I can’t. I need to be coherent. Captain Griegan commanded me to share the details of what occurred when Captain Westfield and his men get back.”
“I’ll stay up and wait for them,” Grizz offered. “You’ve seen a lot today. This will help with your shaking,” he said, acknowledging that he had seen Willis’s hands trembling even though the warrior was trying to hide them.
“That’s the first time I watched men die,” Willis confessed, taking a large sip of his drink. “They tell you about it in Warrior Training, but nothing can prepare you for the real thing.”
“I know. It’s tough to see.”
“You’ve seen people killed before?”
“Yes,” was all the Dwarf replied.
“You do have a dark past, don’t you?” Willis questioned.
Grizz didn’t answer, but even if he had, the red-haired Elf wouldn’t have heard. In his exhaustion, the young warrior slouched over, asleep. Getting up, Grizz quietly walked to the large fireplace and added a couple logs to the fire to keep the lobby warm for the three warriors sleeping in it.
After wrapping a nearby blanket around his body, the Dwarf took the bread, cheese, and his mug and walked out into the chilly night to sit on the porch.
He sat there wide awake until morning.
But the other seven warriors never returned.
Chapter 42
Just as Kari had, Ty dropped everything he was carrying and sprinted to the campsite. He found Kari crouched next to Steve on the ground.
“I don’t know when he passed out. I found him like this,” she explained frantically.
Ty bent down and checked Steve’s pulse, which was far fainter than it should’ve been. “He’s fatigued and dehydrated. We shou
ld’ve stopped long ago.” Shaking his head in anger, he added, “It’s my fault. I should’ve been firm and made the call.”
“It’s wasn’t only you,” disagreed Kari. “We both could’ve done more to try and convince him to stop. I gave up too easily when I got angry.”
“Here,” Ty started unlatching the dented red plate of armor Steve was wearing. “Help me take his armor off so it’s easier for him to breathe.”
Together, they removed his plate, spaulders, and gauntlets. Underneath, Steve’s tunic was covered in dirt and sweat and stained with blood.
“We need to take this off and see underneath. He’s the kind of person that could have arrows sticking out of him and he would act like it didn’t bother him.”
Kari sat Steve up while Ty removed the shirt. Both of them let out a startled cry when they saw underneath. They had thought Steve’s face looked terrible, but his body was even worse. All over his torso he had deep, dark bruises. There were more shades of purple and blue than flesh color.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he had three or four broken ribs,” Ty admitted, lightly feeling along Steve’s naked torso for any breaks. In addition to the bruises, there were also long, red lashes on his chest, sides, stomach, and back. Ty was almost physically sick looking at them, and Kari was growing as pale as Steve was.
“What happened to him?” she asked.
“He said he was tortured by one of the commanders in the Hooded Phantom’s army, a minotaur named Ironmaul. I didn’t know it was this bad though. I can’t believe the amount of pain he must’ve been in.”
“His shoulder is bad too,” Kari noted, pointing out the deep gash he suffered from Silas and further damaged by the orc in the sewers. “It’s deep, and it’s already infected. And what’s this?” She pointed to a long, two-inch straight scar on the side of Steve’s neck. “This isn’t fresh.”
“No, it’s not,” Ty said. “He and I both have scars from accidents as kids and from our time in the warriors, but that scar he’s had as long as I can remember. I don’t know who gave it to him, but it’s from before Thatcher adopted him as an infant.”
“That’s awful,” Kari replied, horrified, “to think someone would harm a baby.”
“He’s never said anything about it. Of course, he would’ve been too young to remember, but I’m sure he wonders about it as well.”
Ty stood up. “We can’t do much for him now. Our best way to help him is to get this fire going and this deer cooking. I’m going to pick up the pile of kindling I dropped. If he wakes up, give him water.
Steve woke up a couple minutes after Ty left. Kari was cradling his head in her lap and gently running her fingers through his hair. She had a concerned look on her face and was softly whispering, “Steve, Steve,” over and over, trying to get him to wake up.
“Hi,” he said in a dreamy sort of tone. After the glazed look left his eyes, Kari could tell he was coming to his senses.
“Where are we?” he asked.
Helping him sit up, Kari propped him up against a nearby log. “We’re in the Evergreen Forest. I found you here passed out. Here,” she handed him his canteen, “drink as much of this as you can.”
Steve quenched his parched mouth, downing half of the canteen in large gulps. “Are you going to tell me now or later?” he asked her.
“Tell you what?”
“That you were right and I was wrong. That I shouldn’t have pushed myself as hard as I did.”
“I wish I hadn’t been right. It scared me seeing you like this. For a second I thought you were dead.”
“I’m okay, I think. It’s going to take more than torture, hanging, and swordfights to put me six feet under.”
“Apparently not much more,” Ty said, coming back into the campsite and dropping his kindling with a clatter. “I’ve never seen anyone take more of a beating than you have.”
“Really, I’m fine,” Steve reiterated, trying to stand up, but he immediately went ghostly pale again and slumped back down.
“Yeah, you’re okay!” Ty said, sarcastically agreeing with Steve when it was obvious he wasn’t okay.
“Please, help me get up. I can help get things ready for cooking the deer.”
“NO!” Ty yelled in frustration. What’s it going to take? Why does he have to be so stubborn? Turning away, he tried to suppress his anger, but he couldn’t take it any longer.
“Kari, could you go get your firewood? I want to talk to Steve alone for a couple minutes.”
“What’s the problem?” Steve asked after Kari obliged and had gone to get her pile of kindling. The Elf was glaring without saying a word. The warrior knew his brother was furious, but could tell he was trying to hold in his anger.
“Nothing.”
“No, you’re looking at me like you have something to say.”
Instead of saying “nothing” this time, Ty simply shrugged his shoulders.
“Come on. Tyrus Canard always has something to say. What is it?”
“I’m trying to understand why you’re acting like this.”
“Like what?” Steve asked, playing coy.
Looking angry and annoyed, Ty’s voice grew louder. “Oh, I don’t know, an idiot, a fool, stupid. Pick whatever one you want. You’ve been pushing yourself beyond your limits, and I don’t even think you’ve shared with us how you’re handling all this.”
“All what?” Steve continued to be argumentative and avoid confrontation.
“All this!” Ty gestured to the surrounding wilderness. “The fact that we’re out here in the middle of nowhere. The fact that Celestial has been destroyed and overtaken!” Realizing his aggressive tone was only causing Steve to become more defensive and distant, Ty took a breath to calm himself.
“What we went through was horrible, terrible, cruel, disgusting, frightening, scarring,” he went on, trying to list as many adjectives as he could. “It would affect anyone. Kari had an existential crisis back in the cornfield, wondering why all this evil had to happen. I told you yesterday about how this attack has caused me to take a hard look at my life and regret living selfishly. Yet, you haven’t said anything about how it’s affected you. You’ve suppressed your emotions, and you’ve been hiding how much pain you’re in. You’re trying very hard not to show weakness.”
Steve remained silent.
“Am I wrong?” asked Ty.
“No.”
“Then why are you acting like this?”
“I need to act strong for the group! I don’t want you both to see me weak!”
As Ty watched him, he saw Steve quickly glance over towards Kari who had disappeared out of sight behind some trees.
“You mean, you don’t want her to see you as weak?” Ty said in a tone that was partially questioning and partially a statement of realization.
“Yes,” Steve admitted begrudgingly. “Since the moment I met her, that’s all she’s seen from me. First, Prince Silas beat me to a pulp, and then the orc in the sewers almost killed me. Then, my only goal was to make it to the end of the day without passing out, but pushing myself that hard led to an argument between us. Then, guess what? I passed out anyways. Why would I want to add to all that by constantly taking breaks to rest and complaining about the pain I’m in?”
“You like her, don’t you?” Ty grinned.
Steve’s silence made the answer obvious to Ty.
“That’s why you’re acting so self-conscious about everything.”
“I have to be that way. Girls aren’t instantly attracted to me like they are to you. You’ve had over twenty girlfriends. I’ve had two, both of which didn’t work out. I have to try harder than you to make a good impression and I’m failing miserably with Kari.”
Considering what Steve said, Ty followed up by saying, “Steve, all those girlfriends, they meant nothing to me. It was just a temporary enjoyment being with someone new every week. There was no emotional connection between us. That’s why none of t
hem lasted long. Those few relationships you’ve had, even though they ended, they were real. With each one, you learned more about what you wanted in a woman and you learned more about yourself.
“I’m not surprised you like Kari. I like her too. Who wouldn’t? She’s smart, she’s funny, and she’s pretty. She’s someone I wouldn’t mind getting to know more and possibly be in a relationship with.”
Ty sighed, knowing what he was giving up with the next words he was about to say. “But you are more prepared and ready for that kind of commitment. You know what you want. If you’re seeing those things in Kari, then go for it. I’m not going to stand in your way; in fact, I’ll try to help you as much as I can.
“You have to promise me you won’t push yourself so hard anymore because you’re trying to show you’re strong. True strength is knowing your limitations and not being afraid to admit you need help or need to take a break. It’s also not a weakness to cry or be emotional, which you seem to believe.”
Although Steve remained silent, he nodded understandingly, showing he agreed with his brother’s words. He knew that in the few moments whenever Ty was serious instead of joking around, it was not time to interrupt, but to listen intently.
“Please remember you don’t have to put it on your shoulders that it’s your job to protect Kari and me. We can fend for ourselves. I’m not saying there won’t be times when we’ll need your help, but you don’t always have to be the one to take on all the danger. Sometimes you have to let someone else make the sacrifice.”
“Alright, I can do that,” agreed Steve.
Seeing there was more color in his face, Ty pulled him up and hugged him. “I’ve lost Darren, Thatcher, and Wildwing. You’re all I have left. I can’t lose you too.”
“Awwww, brotherly love!” Kari said coming back into the small clearing.
Steve turned to her and apologized. “I’m sorry about the way I treated you earlier. You were looking out for me. I feel bad that you found me like you did. I know I wouldn’t like finding you like that. I should have stopped when you said so.”
