by Eden Redd
“Priest Raine and Priestess Misty told us what happened. How badly did they hurt you?” Kogan asked with concern in his eyes.
“Enough to slow me down a little, but I’m already healing,” Kavan said with a confident smile.
Soki slithered close, pulling a potion from her satchel.
Kavan waved it away, “I should be fine in a few hours. Save the potion. We may need it.”
The mayor nodded. “Durzol, Lorta, Kazko, and Rujin, search the farm for any more xykks. If you see or hear one, do not engage them. Come back to us right away.”
The orc and three trolls nodded and spread out.
Kogan kept his gaze on Kavan, “We have to go back and alert the town. This many xykk drones means there’s a colony nearby.”
The mayor looked down at a fried xykk corpse. “These were not scouts, they were hunters. They move in squads to take down prey and bring back to the colony.”
Memories stabbed into Kavan’s mind. An image of Dura mentioning the mummified dead from Brom’s dungeon shined bright along his mind. Realization washed over him as he gave the older orc a firm nod.
“I think I know where the colony is,” Kavan said.
The mayor, Raine, Misty, Onka, and Soki looked down on the dragonkin as he explained what he discovered from his research into the old lich. The group listened intently as he retold the story Brom told him during one of his lessons and what he heard from Dura at the Library.
“I think Brom kept his dungeon warm and dry to help mummify his dead. It sounds like the perfect environment for a colony to live. I haven’t had any new undead appearing by my farm from the forest. I can only assume the xykks slaughtered them and made their home in the dungeon,” Kavan finished.
The mayor nodded grimly. “If a xykk colony is in the dungeon, it would explain the missing and terrified dreggers. We have no idea how many other creatures have been harvested for the colony.”
“If the xykk have been here for about a month, how many could there be?” Kavan asked.
Shadows covered the mayor’s eyes. “There could be as many as eighty to two hundred. I’m beginning to think, the shadow or monster you saw that night may have been a queen. It may have been seeking a place to nest. Why it came out all this way is still a mystery.”
Kavan nodded when a familiar strange scent touched his snout again. The pull of the scent turned the dragonkin’s head to the side of his home. A small tree stood by a window, the scent of honey and meat coming off of it.
“We will have to alert the town as soon as we can,” the mayor began when he noticed Kavan standing up.
All eyes followed the dragonkin as he walked along the side of the house to a small, seven-foot tree. The scent grew stronger as he approached. When he stood before it, he looked down at the freshly dug soil around the base of the tree.
Viz, did we plant this tree?
“We have not performed any planting the entire time we’ve been here. Judging from freshly turned soil, it was planted here as soon as last night. I have no records of this tree on the property beforehand.”
Kavan rubbed his jaw.
It smells like honey and meat. This could be the Honey Leaf sapling that was stolen from the plant nursery. If it attracted the xykk, it was purposely planted here. Someone wanted the xykk to come to my home.
“Ammi didn’t mention a meat scent with the sapling. Either she forgot to mention it, or the tree was altered.”
Either way, someone was trying to get me and everyone here on the farm killed.
Kavan reached up and broke off a small, leafy branch. He stuffed it into his belt pouch and closed it.
I’ll destroy the branch after I have Ammi take a look at it.
Kavan channeled a point of mana into his fire sphere. Flames engulfed his hand as he reached the tree and took hold of it. A small moment slipped by before the tree began to burn. Firelight danced in Kavan’s eyes as the top portion of it curled and burned. Muscles bulged along his arm and he pulled the thin, burning tree from the ground and let it fall away from the house. Flames took and it slowly turned black, gray smoke rising up.
When the flames died, Kavan turned back to the many curious eyes and walked to the group.
“I’ll explain a little later. We should head back into town and let everyone know the danger Moonvale faces,” Kavan said.
Durzol, Lorta, Rujin, and Kazko returned. They looked to the mayor and shook their collective heads to him, indicating they didn’t find anything.
The mayor nodded and addressed everyone gathered. “It’s not safe to be outside of town. We will all return and have an emergency town meeting. We must address this threat with the entire town before we put a plan in place.”
Heads nodded in agreement.
Kavan addressed the mayor, “Let me get a few things and we can be on our way,” the dragonkin said with a deep concern along his spirit.
***
A small crowd entered the southern gate. Durzol stood by the gate until everyone was inside before closing it shut and locking the bar across it.
The mayor led the group with Kavan by his side. Everyone else followed closely behind, a somber mood filling the area like a gray cloud.
Onka walked with Abby behind Kavan. The goblin looked over at the scared and timid taur at her side. Abby looked down at the goblin and Onka gave the taur a reassuring smile as they walked along the cobblestone street.
Mayor Sunaxe reached into his large robe pocket and pulled out a hand sized bell attached to a handle. He lifted it up and began ringing it loud enough for the entire town to hear.
“Town meeting! Town meeting!” the older orc bellowed loudly as he walked.
It wasn’t long before windows and doors opened. Residents looked out and heard the mayor’s bell. Scattered bodies spilled out onto the street and made their way toward the town center. Lanterns and torches glowed as the main group reached the center and waited.
Town residents moved in from different streets. They flowed towards the center. Mayor Sunaxe moved to the edge of the fountain and lifted a leg onto it. He stood up on the wide, flat edge and turned around. Kavan and Durzol stood to each side of the mayor as the last few residents joined.
Kavan scanned the crowd, seeing most of the town showed up. There were a few faces he didn’t recognize, townsfolk he hadn’t met yet. One of them was a woman with cat-like features. She wore a black robe and had a witch’s hat on her head. Pointed ears stuck up from the sides of the hat as well. She stared at Kavan as he stood by the mayor.
Kavan continued to scan the area, seeing Zellee at the edge of the crowd. Hynrik crawled along East Street and took his place along the edge of the crowd, far away from Zellee.
A blue and black scaled dragonkin stepped toward the edge of the center. Drayke leaned against a wall and crossed his arms. An amused smirk filled his draconic face as he looked on with interested eyes.
A lull touched the air before the mayor took in a breath and addressed the crowd.
“People of Moonvale, a threat has come to our town and attacked our dear Magistrate’s home this very evening!” Kogan began.
The mayor detailed the events as they happened a short time ago. The first blank gazes began to twist into slivers of fear. When the mayor was finished explaining what happened, a loud murmur filled the crowd.
Shegga was the first to speak to the mayor, “A xykk colony, here by Moonvale! How are we to fight against an entire colony!”
Heads nodded in concern.
Mayor Sunaxe lifted his large green hands to help settle everyone down. “The xykk attack was not entirely unexpected. The magistrate and I have talked about a plan to defend the town against any larger threats, including the xykk. We began implementing it recently, but there is still much work to do.”
“If you listened to me earlier, we wouldn’t have this threat at our gates,” Hynrik sneered.
“Instead of pointing your finger, why don’t you come up with a solution!” Zellee shot back.
“I’m not the mayor or the magistrate,” Hynrik said as he lifted his chin.
“But you have fought the xykk before,” Tezzi said loudly.
“Please, everyone settle down. We are formulating a detailed plan to combat the threat to our town. For tonight, everyone should stay in town for everyone’s protection. The xykks that attacked Woodhaven farm were a hunting party. We cannot risk our people to another hunting party,” Mayor Sunaxe explained.
Hynrik grunted in annoyance. “The walls to Moonvale will not protect anyone from the xykk. With their hunting party killed, they will send more. Those monsters connect with the colony every morning before sunrise. Once they discover a few missing, they will send more to investigate and bring back anyone they can for the colony.”
The arachnix moved through the crowd. Residents parted to the large spider man as he crawled onto the fountain and climbed up until he hung off the statue. He looked around with a smug gaze as everyone in town looked at him.
“Moonvale is lost. The best course of action is to evacuate the town in the morning and travel to Loduss. We bring every drop of coin and hire an army of mercenaries to come back, find the colony and burn it out.
“If we stay here, we die. Fighting a horde of xykks is difficult. We don’t have the warriors to fight off an army of them. They will kill or steal you away to give to their young. If you are unlucky enough to be alive when they take you, the queen’s young will feast on you for every agonizing moment. I’ve seen many warriors crying and screaming as they were eaten alive. That is a fate no one wishes, even on their enemies.”
“If we run, we will always run,” Dura shouted to the arachnix.
“It’s called a strategic retreat,” Hynrik growled. “We don’t run away forever. We come back with a real force to handle this threat.”
Murmurs, head shakes and nods filled the crowd. Kavan could see the division as some seemed to agree with Hynrik and others did not.
The dragonkin narrowed his gaze, drinking in many faces. Despite the division, real fear colored everyone’s eyes. The cloud of voices began to rise the more the townsfolk talked. It began to spin out of control with panic beginning to set in.
I have to stop this before it turns into a riot.
Kavan stepped onto the edge of the fountain, next to the mayor. He looked out to the crowd and many eyes and heads turned to him. A sudden hush fell over the town center and they waited to hear from the magistrate.
“I know where the colony is. Since the xykk are nocturnal, I will journey to the colony at first light. The mayor and I have discussed having fire potions made. I know firsthand that the xykk don’t like fire. I burned their exoskeletons with just my fire sphere of magic. With enough fire potions, I can burn out their colony as they sleep. If enough damage is done, they will leave and hopefully not come back,” Kavan explained to the crowd.
A stunned silence filled the town center as everyone stared at the dragonkin.
Hynrik crossed his arms. “That’s suicide. It took teams of warriors to successfully burn out a colony. A lone dragonkin is not enough to change those odds. You’ll die and then those monsters will come for the town.”
Kavan turned his head and gave Hynrik a hard gaze. “You seem to think you have all the answers. You can join me to help protect the town.”
Hynrik’s eyes half closed in contempt. “I already put in my time killing those monsters. You didn’t heed my advice before and that means I don’t need to throw my life away because you were too stupid to listen.”
“Your advice was to hire mercenaries that could put our town in further danger! At least Kavan is taking it upon himself to burn out the nest. Hynrik, for such an experienced warrior, you do more talking and less fighting!” Lorta barked from the crowd.
“How dare you,” Hynrik shouted back.
A tension slipped through the entire crowd. The town of Moonvale stood on the edge of a knife, ready to fall into chaos.
“Magistrate, I will go with you!” Durzol boomed.
The tension fell away as everyone turned their gazes to the blacksmith. Durzol stood tall with his chest out, his gaze squarely on Kavan.
Kavan smiled.
Drayke shook his head and sighed. “I’ll come too. I want this town to be my home and I will help our dear Magistrate to fight this monstrous threat.”
Kavan’s smile faded a touch as he looked over the crowd at the dragonkin leaning against a wall. Drayke smiled and gave Kavan a wink before everyone turned to look at him.
Hynrik let out a sarcastic laugh and began climbing down the statue. “I’m not listening to any more of this. Throw your lives away.”
Heads turned back to Kavan and Mayor Sunaxe.
The old orc smiled and gave an approving nod to his son before looking at everyone gathered.
“We have three brave spirits who will combat the xykk threat, but we cannot rely on them to do the work for us. It will take the whole town to come together to ensure we are prepared if the threat grows.
“While our Magistrate and volunteers go to the colony directly, the rest of us will prepare a defense. Residents will be armed and caches of fire potions will be stocked. The church has sheltered our town through many storms and threats and it will do so again. If the xykk come for our town, we will be sheltered and ready to hold them off from the church.”
The older orc’s eyes took on an understanding gleam. “As we all know, not everyone here in town is a fighter or warrior. Many of us came here to live a generally peaceful life. As mayor, I would never expect anyone to fight, but as a town, we must come together and bring our varied skills to protect our town and each other. You don’t have to say it now, but come morning and as our three heroes depart to fight the xykk, I will need volunteers to help stash fire potions and organize the town. Anyone with any kind of fighting skills will be welcomed to help defend us.”
A darkness seeped into Mayor Sunaxe’s eyes, with a dash of regret. “I will pull down my battle axe from behind my desk and use it to defend our town once again. I hope many of you will do the same.”
Eyes turned sideways from many of the townsfolk, a deep concern filling their expressions.
The mayor’s expression brightened as he addressed the crowd again, “We will discuss further at first light. With any luck, the colony will never have a chance to recover and Moonvale will return to normal. However, we must hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
“Residents outside the town walls can stay at the Blue Lantern for this night.”
Rujin nodded from the crowd.
Kavan stepped down from the fountain edge and helped Kogan down to the street. Some of the crowd dispersed. Others lingered and talked. The mood was the same, dark and foreboding.
Durzol stepped to the mayor and Kavan. “I’m ready to fight at your side, Kavan.”
“As I am ready to fight by your side,” Kavan smiled.
The orc nodded and smiled.
Kogan looked at his son fondly, “Durzol, my son, please be careful.”
“I will,” Durzol bowed to his father.
Kavan looked past the remaining crowd to the spot Drayke stood. The dragonkin was gone.
Kavan sighed before turning his attention to Ammi and Soki standing not too far away, talking to each other.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Kavan said and stepped away.
The dryad and naga were talking in low tones until Kavan walked up to them. The pair gave the dragonkin a welcoming smile as he approached.
“Magistrate!” Ammi said with bubbly affection.
Soki gave a small nod. “Thank you, Kavan for what you are going to do, but I must demand you all come back in one piece.”
“We will, I swear it,” Kavan nodded.
The dragonkin’s hand slipped into his belt pouch, took hold of the leafy branch he took earlier and pulled it out. He held it up to Ammi and the dryad looked down with blank, brown eyes.
“I wanted to get your expert opinion on wha
t I found by my house. This was part of a small tree that smelled like honey. It reminded me of the sapling that was stolen from your nursery. I hope you can take a look.”
Ammi blinked and nodded. Brown hands reached out and took hold of the small branch. She held it up and looked at it. The dryad sniffed at the air and frowned. She turned it around her long fingers before looking up to Kavan.
“This is a Honey Leaf branch, but it’s been changed. They don’t give off a meat scent like this one. It’s so strange, but I know this plant's song. It is from the nursery, but it has been altered and forced to grow much faster.”
Kavan looked at the tiny branch. “I had a feeling it might be. Who in town has the skill to alter a plant in such a way?”
Ammi’s eyes took on a fearful edge. “No one except me. Hynrik is well-versed with plants, but this plant wasn’t bred.”
The dryad’s hands began to shake. “I… I didn’t do this. I would never do this to a beautiful plant,” she said in a panic.
Kavan shook his head, “Ammi, it never crossed my mind you would do such a thing. I believe someone broke into the nursery and took the sapling. They altered it and used it to lure any xykks in the area to my home.”
Soki looked at the dragonkin, “You think someone in town tried to have you murdered?”
Kavan shrugged. “It appears that way, but I have no concrete proof on who. I must ask both of you to keep this between us. After the xykks have been dealt with, I’ll have to investigate further.”
The dryad and naga nodded in unison.
“May I keep this?” Ammi asked as she held the small branch.
“I don’t see why not. Please come to me if you find anything more.”
The dryad gave Kavan a firm nod.
Kavan turned away and began walking back to the mayor.
“This town doesn’t hold onto secrets very well. Do you think it was wise to have them keep it to themselves?”
