The Ancient Lands: Warrior Quest, Search for the Ifa Scepter

by Jason McCammon

Farra was still blindly making her way through the fog, and carefully footing herself to keep from falling into the holes. At first, it was the sound of the ogres around her that fueled her fear. Their growls frightened her and the sounds of them falling down the holes terrified her. Now it was the silence. She heard no footsteps, no growling, no yelling, and no panting.

  She jumped when Bomani grabbed her by the arm. “Farra, it’s me.”

  “Bomani! I thought I had lost you. How did you find me, I can’t see a thing!”

  “I lay on my stomach, and watched for your feet,” he said.

  She was holding Pupa in her arms. He growled at Bomani.

  “Pupa, stop it!” she scolded him. “That’s not nice.”

  “Uhh…he’s alright. Probably just scared,” said Bomani.

  “The stinky ogres, I don’t hear them anymore.”

  “Um…I think they are gone. We should go too.”

  “Pupa is low to the ground,” she said. “If you can see down there, then he can too. He can guide us out.”

  “Yeah, that’s a pretty good idea. We should let him lead.”

  Again, Pupa growled at Bomani. “Pupa, I said stop it,” Farra told him, and then put him on the ground. “You have to guide us out of here, understand?”

  “You want me to hold your staff for you?” Bomani asked her.

  “No, I've got it.”

  Before long, with Pupa’s help to guide them, they made their way out of the fog.

  “Let’s just take a second to figure out where we are going,” Bomani said.

  “I don’t get it,” said Farra. “Did all of the stinky ogres just fall into the holes? That’s a terrible way to go, even for an ogre. I heard one fall in. His voice went on forever. There’s no end to the holes.”

  “Yeah, I heard it too. Scary!” There was an apparent tremble in Bomani’s voice.

  Pupa looked up at him and started barking again.

  Farra’s back was turned to the fog. She had no idea that something was emerging from behind her. She continued to try and deal with Pupa and his barking, bending down and rubbing him behind the ears to try and calm him.

  “Pupa, I said stop it. Bomani is our friend. I’m sorry; I don’t know why he’s acting this way. You’ve seen him. He’s usually much nicer. He’s probably still spooked from being in the fog.”

  Bomani watched as two ogres approached her from behind. They were able to get very close to her before she turned to notice them.

  “Ogres!” she yelled and stood up.

  Quickly, Bomani snatched her staff out of her hand.

  “Bomani! What are you doing?”

  Then the two ogres grabbed her. “Let go!” she yelled and then turned her attention back to Bomani. “Bomani, help me! What are you doing?”

  “I’m sorry Farra. It’s better this way.” His head was bent down toward the ground. He could not even look at her.

  “Better? Better for whom? What are you talking about?” She struggled against the ogres, but she was no match for their superior strength. “Pupa knew something was wrong! I should have listened to him.” Pupa was still barking, even more madly than before.

  Then, in both the ogres’ necklaces, Hatari’s image appeared. “Good work my young warrior. You see, everything runs smoother with a little cooperation.”

  “What we do with her now master?” one of the stinky ogres asked.

  “We have her staff,” Hatari replied. “Throw her into the holes.”

  “Roger, roger, master.”

  As the ogres made their way back toward the fog with Farra, Bomani pulled his stolen necklace out of his pouch and stared into it. “You said you wouldn’t hurt her.”

  “Trust me Bomani, it is better this way. It is easier to get rid of her now instead of having her trampling on your heels if she gets away. Don’t forget the big picture. I will make you King, and you can save the world!”

  Farra couldn’t believe what she was seeing or hearing. She knew Bomani was a troubled boy, but she would never think that she would collaborate with Hatari to take her staff and kill her. She screamed his name one last time before the ogres pulled her back into the fog.

  She continued to struggle against the ogres grasp. She could see nothing but the thick, white fog lit from the moon.

  “This hole good.” Farra heard one of the ogres say. “Yeah, throw her in dis one.”

  Then, she felt her self being lifted up and thrown downward. She screamed in fright, falling downward through the air until something grabbed her by the arm.

  Bomani pulled her up. “I’m sorry,” he said and held her staff out to her.

  For a moment, she just looked at him, just barely seeing his face in the fog.

  “Take it,” he insisted.

  She snatched it from him and ran.

  “Farra!” he shouted, darting after her.

  He emerged from the fog and grabbed her. “Farra, stop. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

  Farra looked at him with eyes of fear, distrust, and shame. “How could you do that? How could you betray us like that? Get away from me. Let me go!”

  With two ogres coming toward their way, Bomani let her go. She ran away as fast as she could without looking back.