The Man With No Hands

by Toby Neighbors

  Getting to her feet she looked the elf in the eye, refusing to be cowed any longer. He looked at her with a grin, knowing his manipulation had kept her in place through the night, which only made her angrier.

  “Humans. You are an interesting race. So soft and pliable, yet your mental prowess and survival instincts are quite strong,” Allric said. “Already I see the defiance in your eyes. Would you really challenge me? Don’t you realize the power I wield?”

  “I realize that you’re an evil monster,” Via said, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking.

  “Monster, ha! I like that. I am a monster, or more accurate perhaps would be the maker of monsters. Let me show you a few of my creations. It was a productive night. My most successful yet.”

  Allric waved his hand and the shrubs disappeared. There were a few of the thick, bushy plants, but most of the hedge had been an illusion. She looked up into the tree, wondering if the snake had been real, only to discover not only the snake from the day before, but dozens more of the oversized reptiles, along with more of the avian creatures with the bodies of eagles and the legs made of snake bodies.

  The elf led her to a fire, which burned low, the coals smoking gently. There was blood on the ground, which was clear of leaves. The dirt was hard packed, and while a few roots sprang up here or there across the clearing, most of the ground was level and undisturbed. At the edge of the clearing were several towering lodgepole pine trees. Their thick trunks rose up straight for at least a hundred feet before any branches sprouted. At the bottom of the tree trunks, tied securely in place with thick ropes and chains, were horrifying creatures. One had the body and legs of a wolf, with a human head and eagle wings. Its tail was a snake that hissed angrily, striking out at unseen enemies.

  “Beautiful, aren’t they?” Allric said.

  Via saw three men, but from the waist down their bodies were replaced with hugely powerful bison legs complete with shaggy fur and thick hooves. From the waist up they were human, but larger than any man Via had seen, even larger than Orin. They were tall, their shoulders abnormally wide, and their hands were replaced with long raptor talons, complete with sharp claws.

  “Hollis is fashioning armor for them now.”

  “What have you done?” Via managed to ask, as the mutated men looked at her with baleful eyes.

  “I am creating an unstoppable army,” Allric said, “of which you, my dear one, must play a part.”

  “I don’t want it,” she said, suddenly terrified he was going to transform her into a hideous beast.

  “No, I wouldn’t dream of remaking you,” the elf said with a wicked grin, knowing her fear would play right into his plans for her. “You are much too valuable.”

  She looked at the elf, hoping he was being honest, but fearing him at the same time.

  “You have the gift, that much is clear. We must ensure that you have great power,” he explained. “These creatures are a means to an end, nothing more. We have been given the power to remake the world as we see fit. I will harness that power, and make it obey my every wish. I will fashion a kingdom that stretches across the entire Western Realm. The people of every race and tribe will fear me, and love me. But there is room by my side, dear one. Room for someone with abilities much like my own. Are you that someone?”

  “Me?” Via said, her mind reeling, unable to take her eyes from the hideous men bound to the trees at the edge of the clearing.

  “Yes,” Allric said. “It is time for your powers to bloom.”

  He turned suddenly, grabbing Via’s face in his hands, the long fingers splayed across her cheeks and up over her ears. He was strong, but as she grabbed his wrists she realized he was also delicate, almost fragile. He didn’t have the physical size or durability of a human, the bones felt thin, the muscle and tendons were anemic as well. But it wasn’t the elf’s physical prowess that held Via fast, it was the amazing magical power she could feel flooding her body. It was like cool water on a hot, dusty day. She could feel the magic spreading through her, filling her, opening her mind to possibilities, and making her feel complete.

  “You are a hungry one,” Allric said. “So eager, yes.”

  Via didn’t speak, she could feel herself changing. The magic swirling through her was intoxicating. Her fears were being washed away, her weakness replaced by a new strength she had never experienced before. The touch only lasted a few seconds, but it was a lifetime to Via. When Allric released her, she dropped to the ground. The magical power inside her pulsed and churned, making her feel invincible.

  “Rise, great one,” Allric said. “Tell me what you feel.”

  Via stood to her feet, her hair on either side of her head was streaked with white.

  “I feel…strong,” she said. “Powerful. I can feel the magic inside me.”

  “Inside you, not around you?”

  “No,” Via said. “I have the magic inside me. I can feel it, the power, it’s incredible.”

  “Good, now let me show you how to use it.”

  Wielding magic wasn’t easy, and Via struggled through the day. Allric was not a patient teacher. He had shown Via a few basic spells to begin her training, then left her to perfect the techniques. The magic inside her seemed to have a mind of its own, and controlling it was difficult. At times it tried to rush out of her, making a simple levitation spell go badly wrong. The stone she was lifting was roughly the size of an apple, but the unruly magical power sent it shooting high into the air, when she was merely trying to make it float a few inches off the ground. At other times the magic seemed to resist her will, refusing to be released despite how hard she concentrated or how carefully she pronounced the strange words of the spells. Conjuring a small flame sometimes proved difficult, at other times it came roaring out of her like dragon’s breath.

  By late afternoon she was exhausted and more than a little frustrated. She decided to stretch her legs and try to clear her mind, but the task was harder than it seemed. All around Allric’s camp was the evidence of his heinous experiments. The broken and dissected body parts of animals lay mouldering in various states of decay. There were bonfires, and ash heaps, caches of food, weapons, cooking utensils, and tools, but everything was in disarray. The entire area smelled of death, and Via felt a sense of loneliness that was as tangible as the towering trees around her. Eventually, she stumbled upon a man in chains. He was naked and filthy, curled in a ball on the ground. When he saw her he scrambled back as far as his chains would allow him.

  “No, no, no,” he cried.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “Pedro,” the man said, holding his hands out to ward off an attack that wasn’t coming. “Don’t hurt me, please.”

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” Via said. “Don’t be afraid.”

  “They’re gone… gone, gone,” he said, his voice manic. “All of them. He turned them, turned them into animals.”

  Via remembered the men she had seen tied to the trees, and the wolf creature with a human head. She didn’t want to think about them, but she couldn’t simply forget them either. If the man at her feet had seen those abominations, she wasn’t surprised that he feared her as well.

  “I’m not here for that,” she said. “I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

  “He’s going to turn me into a monster. I know it.”

  “Just calm down,” Via said.

  “I can’t!” Pedro screamed.

  “What is going on here?” Allric said, hurrying into the clearing.

  “No, no, no,” Pedro began begging again.

  “He’s terrified you’re going to experiment on him,” Via explained.

  “Ah, well, that is true. Humans have proven to be all that I hoped for and more. Their bodies take to my efforts so easily. I’ve already sent the mi’nochs for more. It’s fascinating really, fusing their weakened bodies to the powerful creatures of the forest, but I have plans for this one. Big plans, exciting plans,” Allric proclaimed. “I’m just waiting to capture a pro
per specimen.”

  “What do you mean?” Via asked.

  “You shall see, my little witch, you shall see.”

  “Don’t call me that,” Via said.

  “Why? It is what you are. In time, your command of magic will grow. I have scrolls from some of the most powerful witches and wizards. They all died eons ago, of course. My people have forsaken the true ways of power, preferring to cower in their trees like sloths, but we shall open their eyes, my little pet. Together, we shall throw open the windows of possibility and show the world real power.”

  “What are you planning to do with him?” Via asked, pointing to the naked man cowering at her feet.

  “I will mix him, of course,” Allric said. “Humans are the perfect hosts for my army, and I must find the most powerful creatures to cross them with.”

  “What kind of creatures?” Via asked, repulsed, but curious at the same time.

  “The most powerful of all living things,” Allric said. “Dragons of course.”

  “You’re going to turn him into a dragon?” Via asked.

  “No,” Allric replied. “Dragons are far too rare to simply rip apart and rebuild. I shall only take a small fragment from the dragon, just enough to change the host. A mixture of dragon essence and my magical power should do the trick nicely. With a host of dragon warriors we shall be unstoppable.”

  Via saw the gleam of madness in Allric’s eyes. He was evil and twisted, probably losing his mind, but he was also essential to Via. She needed his help to uncover her abilities. He had spells and artifacts that she could use. She was repulsed by his awful experiments on humans and animals, but she needed him just the same and until she could wield magic with confidence she would humor him.

  “That is an audacious plan,” she said.

  “Of course it is. Nothing great comes without risk.”

  “How do you plan to find a dragon?” Via asked, frightened and inspired by the prospect.

  “We shall not find one, my child. We shall draw one to us. Yes, that is precisely how one hunts a dragon. We shall lure the beast in, and then harness its power to make all things new.”

  He laughed, and the man in chains at Via’s feet whimpered pathetically, while a chill flashed through Via. She knew she was in a dangerous place with wicked people, but she told herself she only needed a little more knowledge, a little more experience and then she could break away, but in the back of her mind she feared that she was just as much a prisoner as the man in chains.

  “My lord!” Hollis said in a loud voice as he waddled into the clearing. “Your highness, there is news from the forest.”

  “What is it?” Allric asked, his eyes flashing with either annoyance or excitement, Via wasn’t sure which.

  “There are visitors, in the forest. Humans, my lord. And…” he paused, letting the tension build for a moment. Via could see that Allric was growing angry and was about to lash out at his subordinate, when Hollis blurted, “a dragon!”

  “A dragon, are you sure?”

  “It is the red giant,” Hollis declared. “It was seen by two of our spies. It roosts with the Ivory elves in the dragon tree.”

  “We must not miss this opportunity,” Allric declared. “Stay here, with Via, and watch over this wretch. Unless we are truly fortunate we will not be able to capture the red giant, but all I need is a piece of the great beast. Gather my minions. We must move quickly!”

  Via watched in awe and fear as Allric gathered the strange animal and human creations. In addition to the winged wolf with the head of a man and the three men with bison legs and talon claws, Allric had a pack of huge wolves, two large lions that were the size of horses with huge curving fangs that rose up out of their powerful jaws, and dozens of unnaturally large birds, falcons, vultures, and eagles. Allric jumped astride the alpha wolf and the creatures bounded off into the forest. Via was amazed at the men with the thick bison legs. They were huge brutes, but they ran with incredible speed.

  It wasn’t until the creatures had all gone that Via turned back to Hollis and asked, “What exactly did they see?”

  “A woman, a huge man, and a boy with a dog. They rode horses, and the red dragon was with them.”

  Via watched as Hollis smiled as if the news were a triumphant declaration, but Via felt terror strike at her heart. She knew the woman was Feray, and the man was Orin. They would be slaughtered by Allric’s horrific creatures and she felt a pang of regret. Perhaps they had come to find her. She didn’t want to be responsible for their deaths, at least not Orin or little Luc. But a nagging doubt about Feray popped into her mind unbidden. She was a great sorceress but had refused to help Via. Jealousy welled up within the young witch, stirring the magic inside her into a frenzy. Perhaps it would be best if Feray were killed, she thought. The woman had done nothing but hold her back. A cold knot of anger, mixed with frustration and regret, formed in Via’s stomach. If Feray got in Allric’s way, so be it, she thought. Even if Feray died, there was nothing Via could do. She had spells to learn and despite a feeling of worry for her friends, she turned away from the trail that Allric had taken and she returned to the gnarly rooted tree where she had spent the night. The great serpent was there, just above her on a branch, watching as she tried not to think about what might happen to her friends.

  Chapter 16

  “Do you see them?” Orin asked quietly as he rode up beside Feray.

  “I can see them and feel them,” she said.

  “Should we be alarmed?” the big man asked.

  “We were told this would happen,” Feray said. “I think it best if we just continue on and wait for them to make contact.”

  “Why are they just watching us?”

  “Perhaps they’re worried. I can’t say I blame them for that.”

  “Why worry about us?”

  “Because I can sense the magic in them,” Feray said. “Which probably means they sense it in me. Besides, it’s wise to be cautious in dealing with strangers.”

  “I wish I had my javelins,” Orin replied. “I don’t like my odds against so many creatures.”

  “They are elves, not enemies. Just relax, I’m sure all will be well.”

  “As long as you’re sure,” he said, the sarcasm clear in his voice.

  He dropped back to ride beside Luc, who was taking to the saddle much more quickly than Feray had expected. He seemed more comfortable riding than even she did, and despite his diminutive size, had no trouble staying secure on the back of the horse.

  All around them in the dark forest, she could see glowing figures. They were peeking from the high branches, or around the massive trunks of the mighty trees, their bodies barely visible but their auras glowing in the darkness, reminding Feray of a field full of fireflies at dusk. She felt exposed and vulnerable, but also bold riding into their domain. She could feel the magic of the forest, the stout, life-affirming power of the trees, rooted in the steady strength of the earth. If the elves attacked, she was confident she could protect her family, but she didn’t expect them to be aggressive. Unlike the trees they clung to, the elves seemed fragile and delicate.

  Coming around a large tree in the path they were following through the forest, Feray saw two figures standing in the open, their auras glowing brighter than the others’. Feray reined in her horse, and slipped from the saddle, handing her reins to Orin.

  “Where are you going, mama?” Luc asked, his high-pitched voice seeming loud in the forest where every other creature seemed to move with stealth and caution.

  “To meet new friends,” she said. “You stay here with Orin and Rolo.”

  The dog yawned, completely unfazed by the dozens of elves all around them. Feray turned back to the trail and approached the pair slowly. She couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary, but then again the elves were magical creatures and nothing about them seemed ordinary to her.

  “Hale to you, traveler,” said one of the two elves. He was a male, and slightly larger than his female companion, but slende
r and very different from human men. He had delicate features, high cheekbones, and a long, narrow nose. His skin was ivory, as if he were carved from alabaster rather than flesh. Long, silky white hair hung from his head, under a circlet of golden oak leaves, and he wore a sleeveless tunic that crossed over his body.

  “We are the elders of the Ivory Clan,” said the female, who looked very much like her companion, only shorter and slightly thinner.

  “I am Feray, from the Darnish Counties across the Mountain Veil. This is my son Luc, and our friend Orin.”

  “We have heard of you,” the first elf said. “Crucifus the Wise speaks highly of you. I am Zephyr and this is my mate, Eavon. We welcome you to Braa’dun.”

  “Thank you,” Feray said.

  The couple turned and began walking back along the game trail. Feray followed, and all around them the elves began to move. Most used the long, intertwining branches, moving gracefully from limb to limb. It didn’t take long until the actual elvish city came into view. There was nothing on the ground, but a series of huge trees were crisscrossed with ornate bridges. Feray could see homes built among the branches of the trees, from small, one-room huts to large structures where dozens of elves could meet together.

  Zephyr and Eavon climbed the trees effortlessly, but ropes with slings were lowered for Feray, Luc, and Orin.

  “Perhaps I should stay,” Orin suggested. “Set up our camp down here. See to the horses.”

  “No,” Feray said. “That can wait. We wouldn’t want to insult our hosts.”

  “Are we going up in the trees, mama?” Luc asked.

  “Yes, but you have to be very careful,” Feray said, feeling a tinge of fear at the thought of her four-year-old high up in the trees. “Do not run. Promise me.”

  “Okay, mama,” Luc said.

  They took the ropes and secured Luc, who was quickly raised up into the high branches, making Feray nervous. She sat on a sling and was hoisted upward easily. When she reached the wide branch that led to a platform with a roof, but no walls, she could see Luc being escorted by a female elf who held his hand. She followed quickly, not waiting for Orin, who was still being hoisted upward but at a slower rate.