Cries erupted from outside the tent, and Sai could only hope that Hatch and Von Wilding were making do with the new surprise distraction.
Using her multitasking skills from years on the street, Sai continued to hold the girl under her arm while simultaneously lighting the brooms on fire and dashing them over the hut, catching oil lamps and parchment aflame. Then, as the smoke threatened to choke both of them, she ported out of the hut.
Black smoke-like centipedes raced up the cracks in the thatch hut as flames licked at the peak of the conical roof. The girl still struggled, but she was so small and weak that Sai had no trouble retaining a grip on her shoulder.
A hideous crone suddenly loomed from the shadows pointing a wand at Sai. Light crackled at the tip and a beam shot forth, but Sai was faster and ported away and behind the crone. She let go of the girl and used the flat of her blade to crack the witch across the skull.
Sai grabbed the girl’s collar as she attempted to bolt away.
The crone staggered but wheeled around and raked hideous nails across Sai’s exposed arm. “A pox on thee,” rasped the witch.
The cuts burned on her skin far worse than they should have, and Sai wondered if it had been a pox curse, rather than just a scratch.
The witch brought her wand up for another spell when her sneering face suddenly went blank and she toppled over with an arrow in her back.
Sai couldn’t tell if it had been Hatch or Von Wilding, but she saw movement in the thick bushes not far away.
More arrows flew from the shadows, catching witches like pincushions, yet more witches appeared from the huts, cackling and screeching like banshees.
Lightning lanced across the clearing and blackened bushes, but there was no sound, no cry of pain. Sai hoped that meant her companions were fine and had moved rather than become incapacitated. She couldn’t allow herself to think it could be any worse.
Another witch raced around the other side of the hut and almost bumped into Sai. “They’re trying to steal Esmerelda!” she cried to her fellow witches as she brought her wand up like a fencing blade.
“I don’t have time for this,” muttered Sai as she ported away, dodging the arcane blast of green energy that zipped beyond where she had just been standing and shattered a tree behind.
The witch looked about, puzzled, then down at her own wand as if it were responsible for her foes’ disappearance.
Sai ported behind a witch and said, “Hey ugly.”
The witch snarled and whipped around, blasting with her wand as Sai ported away. Sai put herself between the other witches, who were now casting dark magics at each other. Green lightning and purple rays flashed back and forth furiously in weird entanglements. The witches screeched in horrible agony until all went suddenly silent.
“That was amazing!” shouted Von Wilding. “You got them to destroy each other. Brilliant!”
“And she even has a prisoner to answer questions for us,” said Hatch as he stalked from his hiding place to where Sai still held the littlest witch.
“I don’t think so,” she said, putting a halt to Hatch’s intimidating stride. “This one isn’t what she appears.”
“What?”
“I think she was kidnapped and then apprenticed to become a witch.”
They looked at the littlest witch and could see that Sai was right. Behind the dirt and grime, and beneath the dark cowl and conical witch’s hat, was just a little red-haired girl with freckles and pigtails. She stuck her tongue out at the men.
“What is your name?” asked Sai, stooping to be at the girl’s level.
“Esmerelda. Why did you destroy my aunts?”
“They weren’t your aunts. They were witches that kidnapped you. Tell us, do you know where your mother and father are? Where are you from?”
“My aunts have had me for a long time. Maybe most of this year. But I miss my mommy. I used to live in Stilt-Town.”
“Do you know where that is?” asked Sai.
Von Wilding nodded. “Yes, but it’s out of our way and we need to hurry.”
“We can’t leave her here and we can’t take her with us to Von Drakk’s. We need to take her home first.” Hatch nodded his agreement, though his face was grim.
“Uncle Von Drakk?” asked Esmerelda.
They looked at her in curious shock.
“That’s what my aunts said to call him,” she said with a whimper. “He’s scary.”
“When did you see him last?” Sai asked.
“He was here a few nights ago. He said he was expecting you. That he would see you again soon.” Her dirty brows rose and she looked concerned at their surprise.
“Me?” asked Sai. “Again?”
“Yes, he said a Riftling with two fighting men was coming. But it’s all right,” she assured Sai. “He said you would betray your wicked companions and join him. Then he said we could all be a family again with the Midnight Queen as our new mother. I want a mommy again.”
Hatch and Von Wilding looked at Sai.
“Did I say something wrong?” Esmerelda asked, glancing at their faces.
“Oh boy,” breathed Sai.
Chapter 9: Stilt Town
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Sai said as they tramped through the swamp.
“Even if Von Drakk was lying,” said Hatch.
Sai growled, “Of course he was lying!”
“Let me finish. Even if he was lying that you would betray us, which he probably was—.”
“Did you just say ‘probably?’” Sai stopped short, slapping her hand against Hatch’s chest and putting her nose as close to the taller man’s as possible. “If I was going to betray you—which I haven’t—I would have done it already, before coming to this hellacious mosquito-ridden part of the world. Trust that!”
“I’m not even talking about that. I’m just trying to say that if he knows we are here, that’s what is dangerous. My whole plan was to sneak in under his nose.”
“Yeah! Good job with that,” snapped Sai. “You’re quite the park ranger, aren’t you?”
“That’s royal warden to you, thief.”
Von Wilding had Esmerelda on his shoulders and said, “Don’t argue about this in front of the child.”
“I’m not a child. I’m eleven,” protested Esmerelda.
Hatch continued, “Well, he knows we are here and my plan had been to be sneaky. I wanted to avoid the mistakes that Princess Citrine made when she came in with a whole company of fighters. The evidence of what happened to them is all around us.”
Sai shook her head. “What do you mean it’s all around us? What are you talking about?”
Hatch stopped and pointed at the swamp.
“Guys, I was hoping she wouldn’t notice,” said Von Wilding. “Great job.”
“I knew they were there,” said Esmerelda somberly.
“Who? What are you talking about?” asked Sai, but quickly she saw where Hatch was pointing. Half-covered by dirty green swamp water and small slithering serpents was a mass of broken, armored torsos and limbs half-stuck out of the murk. A few skeletal faces still in their shattered helmets leered from the briny surface. Broken lances and banners wilted in the water as toads and other creatures sat atop the remains of what were once Crystalia’s finest.
“They came with Citrine to get revenge. They were strong, and they were many, and yet they fell to Von Drakk. Only Von Wilding escaped the carnage because he was scouting ahead, and as far as he knows they took Citrine alive, which is why we are here now trying another method, but I’m afraid it hasn’t worked either,” said Hatch, gloomily
“I didn’t think it would look like this,” mumbled Sai.
“It’s all right,” said Esmerelda, “that’s life here in Glauerdoom Moor. Everything goes back to the mud eventually.”
Von Wilding gave an uncomfortable smile to Sai, turned, and hurried along the path.
“Considering everything else about this pla
ce, why didn’t they rise up and try to get us like every other vile creature in the Moor?” Sai asked.
“They did once,” said Von Wilding. “It took a powerful spell to put them to back to rest.”
***
By midafternoon, a muddy, well-traveled path took them off the wet ground and right into the deeper brackish water. It was up to their knees even in the shallowest places. Posts were erected every few yards on each side to show where the true path was. If not for the moss-covered signposts, Sai would have had no idea where they were going as the overcast afternoon drifted into purple-bruised twilight. If it didn’t drain her energy so terribly, she would have ported to every single post to save herself the drudgery of walking in the foul murk. More than once they had to pull leeches from themselves. A swimming python even threatened them once.
“This can’t be right,” said Sai. “This can’t be the best road to get to a village.”
“It is,” answered Von Wilding. “I know right where we are.”
“Really, because it seems like you say that a lot right before we tramp into some terrible place,” said Sai.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t terrible, I just said I know where we are. No offense, Esmerelda,” said Von Wilding.
“None taken,” answered the little girl, still riding his shoulders.
“And, where are we now?” asked Sai with dripping venom as she pulled another struggling leech from her arm.
“Stilt Town!” Von Wilding said, rather pleased with himself as he pointed ahead.
“Home!” cried Esmerelda.
It was the most curious town Sai had ever seen. All the homes and buildings were sitting on stilts a good three to four feet above the waterline. Some were built into the large trees nearby, and many seemed stacked upon one another, rising high in the gloomy sky. Rope bridges and planks connected all of them so that a person might never have to set foot down into the water. But there were no sounds or lights apparent in the windows and Sai wondered for a moment if they had come to a dead city.
“Be careful,” cautioned Esmerelda. “The water is deeper near the buildings. We’ll need someone with a boat to come and get us from here.”
“She’s right,” said Von Wilding. “They are built into a particularly deep spot to help keep the zombies and witches from walking right up to them.”
“Like a moat?” asked Sai.
“Exactly. It’s as safe a system as people here can manage,” said Von Wilding.
“Ho! There! We need a ride!” called Hatch.
“Well, if there are more witches in there, they know where we are now,” grumbled Sai.
Von Wilding shook his head. “If the witches and zombies had claimed Stilt Town, it would be burned to the water. No, good people are still there.”
“I see no lights, nor hear any sound. Are you sure?” asked Hatch.
“I am,” said Von Wilding, “but they are cautious after nightfall to not attract the dark things any more than they have too.”
There was silence from the gloomy town for a short spell, until a watchman with a lantern looked out from the window nearest them. “Oi! Who goes there at this time of night?” he called back.
“It’s not that late,” answered Sai.
“We are travelers from Crystalia,” shouted Hatch. The echoes of his voice carried farther into the swamp than any of them would have liked.
“And the Moor too,” added Von Wilding.
“Humph,” snorted the watchman. “Landlubbers,” he grumbled. “Give me a moment, I’ll get me raft.”
It was a long wait until finally, a raft appeared from behind one of the buildings on stilts, and a very skinny old man urged it toward them with a long pole. He had a nightcap on and was wearing a striped robe. His lantern hung from a second pole on the raft. He stopped when he was still twenty feet from them to take a better look at them. “Sorry, but one can’t be too cautious in these times of woe. Plenty of witches, zombies, and other foul creatures are about at night seeking to do us good folk harm if they can. We have to stay vigilant.”
“As you can see, it’s just the four of us,” said Hatch.
The old man looked them over shrewdly. “Aye, two men, a wisp of a girl, and a woman with a horned helmet?”
“Those horns are mine,” corrected Sai.
“Oh, one of them are ye,” said the old man in a tone that was not a question. “Well get aboard then, and let’s get back to town.”
They all stepped aboard, causing the raft to list to one side until they separated a bit to balance it out. Then the old man pushed his pole back into the muck, taking them across the still waters.
“We thank you,” said Hatch. “Is there a place we can all sleep for the night?”
“Aye, there is. There is the Dew Drop Inn or Marie’s Tavern, which has some rooms for rent.”
“Is one any better than the other?”
“That depends. The Dew Drop Inn is quieter than the tavern, but the food is better at Marie’s if ye ask me,” answered the old man. “Plus, it’s got Marie.” He smiled big at that.
They looked at each other, unsure of what choice to make, so Hatch made it for them. “I guess we’ll stay at Marie’s.”
“I can’t wait for a bed,” said Sai. “But we need to find this child’s parents too. She was kidnapped by witches.”
“And ye stole her back!?” asked the old man, aghast at the prospect. “Ye’ll bring the doom down upon us! The Count will come for her if the witches complain loud enough!”
“We took care of the witches,” said Hatch.
“I hardly think that is possible, sir, the Moor is covered in them witches like ticks on a hound, ye couldn’t have possibly taken care of all of them!”
“The ones that stole the girl, we did. And why shouldn’t you be glad of it?”
The old man went quiet and looked at them, almost whispering now. “It’s not like I don’t have a heart, the Goddess knows I do, but I also know that the witches will come for revenge and be all the harder on us for it. They might steal a child here and there every now and again, but other than that, they haven’t tried to wipe us off the map just yet. And now, maybe they will because of that insult.”
Sai grew angry. “What’s your name?” she asked.
“Chev,” replied the old man.
“Chev, I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear you say that and take it out of your hide myself.”
“I’m just talking about things for the good of the town is all,” the old man whimpered.
“He’s right,” said Von Wilding. “It’s possible the Count and the witches will count this as an insult and come for revenge.”
“Are you saying we shouldn’t have done it? A little late for that now,” snarled Sai.
“And I would have done it all again,” countered Von Wilding, “but the people have a right to be afraid. They live here, we don’t.”
“I live here too,” said Esmerelda.
“Should we have left you with the witches?” asked Hatch.
The girl looked down and shook her head. “I miss my mommy.”
The old man looked away now too, but it was plain he was very afraid.
A new voice broke the still of night. “Well, you best all come in then, before you catch cold or get taken away by the giant mosquitoes.”
They looked and saw a robust woman with long golden braids. She had her hands on her hips, and it seemed that she must have heard the entire conversation. She was a strikingly beautiful flower in a dark and dismal swamp. “I’m Marie, I heard you wish to stay at my tavern? Come on in and I’ll get you all a drink.”
They followed Marie up some rickety steps, and then across no fewer than six planks and two rope bridges between the taller buildings. Sai looked over the edge, and even in the dark could tell that they were more than twenty feet above the water.
“How’d you hear we needed a room, or even your room, if we’re so far away fro
m your place?” asked Hatch.
“I keep a good ear to the waterline and listen for business,” she said, swirling her long gown as she turned to answer him, before sashaying across yet another narrow bridge. Then she caught a door and held it open for them. Bright light splashed across their faces, temporarily blinding them. Music from a quartet of musicians tumbled out like drunken revelers followed by a pungent smell, but it was warm, dry, friendly, and the most comfortable spot they had sat down in since leaving Crystalia.
Marie brought them big mugs of ale and sat down to get to know them. “You look like you have a good story to tell,” she said, mostly to Von Wilding, but gave them all the same warm smile.
He grinned wide behind his mug, and Sai nudged him with her boot, whispering, “If you don’t ask her to dance, I will.”
Von Wilding gave Sai a shocked look, the most surprise he had shown her the entire journey, but quickly recovered himself and stood. “May I have a dance with you, madam?”
“It’s Marie, and I thought you’d never ask.”
Despite Von Wilding having asked her to dance, she took his hands and whisked him off to the dance floor, holding him close and spinning him about. It sounded like the musicians played even louder and faster now that their mistress was enjoying herself. The drums and fiddle raced each other, and Sai was surprised to hear Von Wilding laughing. She didn’t think he knew how.
Hatch nursed his drink while playing checkers with Esmerelda.
“Doesn’t she want to go home?” asked Sai. “Isn’t it right close by?”
Hatch shrugged. “We should be finding Esmerelda’s parents. Let’s go,” he said to Esmerelda.
“I’ll come with you,” said Sai.
Hatch shook his head. “It’s all right, she knows her way around. You stay and enjoy yourself, the Goddess knows you need it.”
Sai dropped back down onto her elephant foot stool. “All right then, guess I will.” She was irritated at that. She hadn’t really wanted to go walking on any more of the swaying rope bridges at night, but Hatch’s mood swing and behavior was odd.
Not a moment after he and Esmerelda had gone out the door, Sai jumped up and followed after them. She’d had enough of listening to Von Wilding and Marie’s laughter and flirtations.
The Glauerdoom Moor Page 6
