"Thanks for sticking with me through all this, Bud and thank you for protecting Daisy. You deserve the best oats and hay gold drens can buy. I'm sorry I can't offer you more than grass by the side of the road."
Bud let out a low rumble letting her know he was happy with what he had. Standing back, she looked into his deep brown eyes before kissing him on his nose. Daisy brayed at her, wanting attention too.
She smiled. "I love you too, Daisy."
U’ka reached out to hug the mule and scratched his neck. He raised his head so she could scratch under his lower jaw and closed his eyes in bliss.
"And thank you, Daisy, for pulling the caravan all over Eleanthra. You have been invaluable to me."
Daisy lowered his head for more scratches. U'ka obliged before kissing him on the forehead.
* * * * * *
R.K. handed his staff to Master Shen. He ran his hand up and down the wood, feeling the grain.
"This is a good staff. Iron Wood from an Elder Tree. I take it this is the Green Lord's work?"
"Yes," said R.K. taking the staff back from Master Shen.
"How much training have you had?"
"Not much. U'ka taught me some basic moves. I feel like I am imposing here. I don’t want you to get hurt trying to train me."
"Nonsense," said Calt walking up to the fire with the medicines she prepared. "There is no one better to learn bo fighting from. Besides, you'll never land a blow on the Master. You should be more worried about how sore you're going to be from the training."
Master Shen chuckled before going into another coughing fit. Calt handed him a cup of sour-smelling tea.
"Drink this. It will help clear your throat. Then rub this on your chest when you go to bed, it'll loosen up all the congestion in your lungs," she said, handing him a wooden box with a strong-smelling salve.
"Alright, child. That's enough nursemaiding for today."
Calt grabbed a bowl and filled it with stew before sitting by the fire. U'ka emerged out of the darkness to sit with them; Calt glared at her over her bowl.
"You found all the medicines you needed?" said U'ka.
Calt gave a small grunt, not wanting to look or talk to U'ka at all.
"Master Shen, how did you both survive the war?"
"Calt and I are from the same village. She always came to visit once a month with one of the Healers caravans to check up on me. The war broke out during her last visit. Daemon soldiers were just a few leagues from our village. She left the caravan behind and we rode away on her horse until it became lame and we abandoned him. We came here to this ancient Sanctum, which has always been considered a place of safety for our people. The Sentinel Trees protected and hid us from the Daemons. We have not seen any other people until you showed up."
"As the only Healer left, you should leave the caravan with me. I'll put it to good use," said Calt.
"The caravan is not mine to give. It belongs to Nallah."
"She lives?" said Calt, wide-eyed. "Thank the gods."
"Yes. I'm borrowing the caravan for the time being. It is important for our mission since it gets me into any village where I can hopefully get information on where the last of the Daemon Lords might be."
"There are still Daemons here?" Calt asked.
"Yes. A few managed to escape being pulled back into the dark realm when I opened the Gateway Between Worlds. Once I have sent them all back, I have to figure out how to seal the Gateway for good, so this can never happen again."
"The Gateway is still open?" Calt gaped.
"Yes, but it only opens one way into the Daemon realm. Once it's closed, it can be reopened into this world.”
‘I have all the knowledge you require. All you have to do is submit to me,’ whispered Bahlmet from the back of her mind.
Snores filled the air from Master Shen, who’d drifted off to sleep while they talked. His head of long white hair hung low, chin resting on his boney, wrinkled chest. Calt got up to help the old man to his bed. She lowered him, still asleep, to his cot. Opening the wooden box, she quickly spread the salve all over his chest before covering him with a wool blanket against the chill of the night air.
"I'm going to turn in too. You should get your rest. Master Shen is an early riser and will want to start your training before the day gets too hot," said Calt, pushing a long blank strand of hair behind her ear.
She looked so much older than the last time U'ka saw her. Her face was gaunt and weary looking. The stress of surviving in the wilds all this time had taken its toll on her. There was anger in her demeanor that was never been there before.
R.K. looked around nervously and whispered, "Are we really safe here? I don't want to get attacked in the night again."
"Teek won't be leaving us this time. He'll know if anyone is trying to sneak up on us long before they reach the camp. Besides, the Sentinel Trees in this grove have kept Master Shen and Calt safe for many months now."
This seemed to reassure R.K. and he laid his head back, pulling the blanket tightly around himself. U'ka lay awake for a while looking up at the stars, listening to the lullaby of the night creatures.
She dreamt of laying on an overstuffed lounge of the softest silk, in the most beautiful garden she’d ever seen. The sweet scent of delicate red, pink and orange roses filled the air. Colorful butterflies floated from flower to flower. Birds chirped out cheerful tunes in the branches above her. Somewhere, unseen, a string quartet played a soft, relaxing melody. It was an all too perfect scene. Behind her came the soft pop of a wine bottle being opened and two glasses poured. Once again, she was dressed in the finest of gowns; footsteps approached behind her. An elegant crystal wine glass was placed before her. Holding it up to her nose, she took in its wonderful bouquet, her favorite vintage. U’ka took a sip and smiled at the sweetness of it.
"Trying to bribe me with my favorite wine?"
Bahlmet moved to stand before her. He took on the guise of a handsome man dressed in garments almost as fine as her own.
"Just showing you the life you deserve. You are a Blood Witch of the highest order. You shouldn't be sleeping on the ground and scrounging around in the dirt for your existence. You can have all this and more. You know what you need to do. It's all too easy to have it all again." He held out his hand to her seductively.
U’ka gripped the arm of the lounge, fighting the urge to reach out to take his hand, to give into him; fulfill her every desire. She downed the rest of the wine in one gulp before setting the crystal glass down.
"This has been lovely, but I have to go now," said U'ka, forcing herself awake, relieved to see it was morning already. A fine mist surrounded them; the air crisp and damp. Sitting up, she looked around, seeing she was the first one up aside from Teek. He’d left some dry wood near the fire pit, which she used to start up a new cooking fire. She stretched before heading to the caravan to get a bag of oatmeal, dried fruit and tea. The animals were just waking up. Bud snorted and Daisy shook himself as she passed by.
Pulling out the supplies along with the last two apples from the Infinity Chest, she gave the fruit to the animals before returning to the cooking fire. Calt, now awake, added a cooking pot full of water to the fire. U’ka handed the supplies off to Calt to finish making breakfast. The air soon filled with the spicy scent of brewing tea. Master Shen came hobbling out of his hut.
"Is that Balla tea I smell?" he asked, sniffing the air. "Haven't had it in ages."
Sitting on the small bench, Calt handed him his breakfast. He took a sip of the tea and smiled.
"This wonderful brew's got just the right kick to put a spring in your step."
"I can leave you with a bag if you like," said U'ka.
"Yes, please. I’d like very much," Master Shen said, taking another gulp. "This is just what I needed for the training today."
R.K. nodded uncertainty as he leaned in towards U'ka. "Are you certain about this? The old man's blind and can barely move," he whispered.
"The old man's hearing is ju
st fine. Don't you worry about me. You're the one who’s going to have a hard time keeping up."
"Listen to the wise Master," said Calt.
"Master Shen, there is one caveat to his training. His blood must not be spilled, nor must he spill the blood of others, or it will awaken his Daemon. It gains power by the spilling of blood and is a formidable force to face."
"You bring more Daemon filth into our lives?" hissed Calt.
"Hush, girl. I know of the darkness inside him." He turned to face U'ka. "I will train him as you ask, but you must leave him with me for three weeks."
"You can train him that quickly?"
"Of course. I am the Bo Master, after all," he said chuckling. "I will begin his training after another cup of this wonderful tea."
U'ka pulled out her parchment with the symbols from the Sanctum catacombs and handed it to Calt.
"Have you seen these before? Do you have any idea what they mean?"
Calt unrolled the parchment and looked over the symbols quickly. "They look like the ones in the underground ruins of the Sanctum here."
"Give it to me, Calt," said Master Shen holding out his hand.
He traced out the symbols with his fingertip. The grey sockets, where his eyes were missing, faced straight ahead.
"Yes, they are the same, but a few symbols are missing. You may check out the catacombs if you like."
"Thank you. I will. Do you have any idea what the symbols are?"
"No idea," he said, holding out the parchment for U'ka to take.
"Why are they so important?" said Calt.
"I'm not sure. But my instincts are telling me there’s something significant here. I need to figure
out how to close The Gateway Between Worlds and I think this might be a clue on how to do it."
"That will stop any more Daemons coming through to our world?" said Calt.
"Yes. It’s been our mission since I recovered after the war. I'm trying to make things right again."
"It still doesn't bring back all the millions who died during the war. You have a lot of blood on your hands," spat Calt.
U'ka sighed. "I know and I deserve all the hate you have given me. You can help me make things right for the people who survived. Do you know of any strange activity in the area which might be associated with Daemons?"
"Several leagues west of here there's the remains of a large Daemon army encampment. I don't know if it will help you or not. We've been pretty isolated here. We don't know much about what's going on in the rest of Eleanthra."
"It's something to go on. We'll check it out."
"Calt. Bring my staff," ordered Master Shen.
She came back with the old bo, its surface covered in a dark, beautiful patina. When placed in his hand, he seemed revitalized, standing without assistance and showing the vigor of a much younger man.
"Boy, get your staff ready. It is time to begin your training."
Unsure, R.K. grabbed his bo, walking to the middle of the encampment with hunched shoulders before getting into a defensive stance. Master Shen bowed before R.K. then raised his Bo to strike. He brought the staff around towards the side of R.K. 's head. He barely raised his staff it time to block the strike which knocked him off his feet, sending him to the ground.
"Balance, boy. Keep your feet square under your shoulders so you don't lose your equilibrium. You must always remain on your feet."
R.K. got to his feet and dusted himself off, a look of disbelief on his face. Adjusting his grip, he widened his stance. "I am ready, Master."
"That's what you think," he said with a chuckle.
U'ka watched the training for a few moments as the Master ran R.K. through several drills before excusing herself to go check out the Sanctum's catacombs. She crawled on her belly through the uneven opening. Inside, she cast an Illumination spell
revealing ancient stone carved with the same symbols as the other two Sanctums. Scanning the walls until she found the new runes, she quickly sketched them on the parchment with the other symbols. She looked them over, but they made no more sense to her than the other symbols. U'ka walked along the walls searching for more new symbols, occasionally stopping to copy one down. Several hallways branched off from the main chamber, but all ended in collapsed rubble. Any answers they might have contained were locked away from her. Satisfied she’d found all the new symbols, she made her way outside to the sound of wood clacking on wood. R.K. breathed heavily and was having a hard time keeping up with the Bo Master.
Teek saddled Bud while she’d been in the catacombs, indicating his readiness to explore the Daemon army encampment. Calt busily attended to her chores around the camp. At the caravan, U’ka pressed her finger into its wooden side to leave her personal mark so the Immobility spell she cast on it couldn’t be broken by anyone else. It’d been a long time since she last saw Calt and she didn’t know how much she could trust her. She then took some supplies from the caravan and put them in Bud's saddlebags
Calt came up behind her. "Leaving so soon?"
"Yes. We are going to check out the encampment and see what we can find. We'll be back at the end of R.K. 's training. Will you take care of Daisy while we're gone?"
"Your mule will be well taken care of," Calt said, reaching out to stroke his bristly mane.
"Thank you. He’s very special to me, been with us since the war ended."
"You shouldn't run into any trouble out there. As I said, we haven't seen anyone since the war ended. But still, be careful. If you really are going to fix all this, I want to see it with my own eyes."
"If I survive my mission, I plan on restoring the Citadel. I want you there to help rebuild the Healers guild. Your knowledge and experience are invaluable now."
"If you manage not to get yourself killed, I'll be there."
"Thank you. Tell R.K. we'll see him at the end of his training."
"Good journeys," said Calt before going back to their camp.
U’ka climbed into Bud's saddle. "Alright, Teek. Lead on."
10
Blackened Earth
They traveled for seven days without incident, finding no other people along the way as Calt predicted. The whole area was utterly abandoned. U'ka heard signs of life in the tall grasslands, birds chirping, insects buzzing and small animals moving through the brush. As usual, she scanned the area for larger animals, but none appeared. She thought this area was a perfect place for the larger herd animals and predators to have migrated to since there were no people around, but the area was devoid of anything larger than a rabbit.
U’ka enjoyed the peacefulness of the land for the few days they passed through it, but soon the lush green grasses gave way to blackened earth. They were closing in on the Daemon encampment. The air smelled foul - the stench of deep, dark places, long forgotten. It got worse as they moved further into the army encampment. U'ka saw burned out buildings and the blackened remains of tents and war machines. Discarded weapons lay all around, charred and rust-covered; no one had scavenged this desolate area. Human bones were scattered everywhere; all with gnaw marks on them. Then the worst smell of all assaulted her nose. The stench of Daemon feces filled the air. Bud reared up at the smell of it and took off running for clearer air. Teek ran after them in confusion. Bud finally stopped where the air was less putrid.
"The stench is overwhelming. You're lucky you don't have a sense of smell, Teek. It's awful. We can't go back in there. You'll have to go in on your own."
Teek headed back into the encampment to further explore the ruins. Bud gave himself a full-body shake before taking a route along the perimeter of the encampment.
U’ka knew Bud was nervous even here. The smell brought back memories of the war; it must have been the same for him too.
'Glorious memories!' Bahlmet exclaimed from the back of her mind.
They kept their steady pace and were soon nearing the outer edges of the encampment. She saw the kennels where the Daemons kept their Shadow Hounds. The dog's coats were so dark as t
o be virtually invisible at night. They also had an insatiable lust for human flesh. The Daemons let them loose whenever they approached a large city. They were fast and formidable hunters who slipped easily through defensive lines to attack soldiers defending the cities. Their howls drove fear into even the bravest men's hearts. The screams from the Shadow Hound's attacks triggered the Daemon's blood lust and frenzy as they took the cities, destroying everything in their path.
The sun quickly sunk below the horizon. Twilight set in, giving the place an even more eerie feeling than before. She dismounted to explore the kennels, the smell of Shadow Hound piss only slightly less revolting than the Daemon feces. As she expected, all were empty. They were purged back to the dark realm with the other Daemons when she opened The Gateway Between Worlds. The chains inside were rusted and the hay bedding an awful shade of moldy green.
U'ka was about to head back to Bud when she heard a rustling sound in the tall, dead grass. She hadn't hunted anything for dinner and hoped for a nice, fat rabbit. As she got closer with her bow, the sound stopped. She stood for a moment listening for any directional sound for where she needed to shoot, but there was just silence in the tall grass. She finally resigned herself to the fact the animal had gotten away. U’ka turned to see a large dark animal leaping through the darkness at her. She dropped her bow but did not have time to draw her dirks before it slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. She yelped as they hit the ground, rolling through the brush. The large creature opened its mouth and then furiously licked . . . her . . . face? Teek came running up, roaring, ready to kill the beast. U'ka thrust out her hand, stopping Teek in his tracks.
"Wait. It's okay," U'ka said, pushing the slobbery Shadow Hound off her chest. He sat next to her, panting softly. The hound should have looked terrifying, but with his head tilted to the side, tongue hanging out, he just looked like a big, goofy dog.
The Blood Witch Chronicles Page 16
