Nalgene reached his brother, tearing him out of the thick mud to lay on his back. SmibSmob lay lifeless, his face pale and taut. Blood seeped from the side of the frail gnome's head, and one arm twisted at an unnatural angle. Clutched within the gnome’s hands was his pointed hat, which now hung limp, dripping wet.
Nalgene fell back, anguish overwhelming his torn mind.
What have I done?
His thoughts whirled in a furious storm. Ro rushed up to stand next to him, but the gnome did not notice. His thoughts were only for his brother. The draconian tried to shake him to his senses. Nalgene thought he heard Ro shouting in his ear, shouting how he could still save him, but he brushed it away, for he was too absorbed in his despair. Andromeda appeared from out of the shadows, her delicate face twisted with distress. She stalked over to the gnome, placing her tail upon his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. She tried to tell him SmibSmob was not lost, but Nalgene ignored her. He had failed. Margaret and Fasto made their way over to the others. Fasto wore a look of concern, and he ran over to Nalgene, mumbling about “friend” and “help.” Margaret merely stood in the background, shaking her head in disappointment.
Then Nalgene saw another figure rising out from among the piles of twisted bodies. Captain Osann staggered forward, his mighty sword dragging through the ground behind him. Nalgene’s mind snapped. Everything came rushing back like a raging tsunami, ripping away his despair. He remembered the traitor. He remembered the black stalker with the purple eyes. A wild growl escaped his lips. Sound crashed into his ears, and the Ro’s voice broke through the haze. Save your brother.
Nalgene placed his hands upon his fallen brother's chest, unleashing a furious torrent of water, enveloping SmibSmob in a seething vortex. SmibSmob’s eyes shot open, all sign of weariness erased from his face. Coughing, he rose to his feet, wrapping Nalgene in a loving embrace.
Tears streamed from Nalgene’s eyes, but they were cut short as he gazed upon the Captain, who stood silently to the side, studying the exchange.
Nalgene released his brother, his eyes locked on the traitor. The boiling rage burst to life within him, and he stormed over to the Captain, his face twisted in fury. He thought back to the conversation he had overheard, back to the agent of Shadow with whom the Captain had spoken. Ro tried to hold Nalgene back, but the gnome brushed him off, continuing his march to the traitor. The rage burned hotter, and this time there was no rain to dampen the flame.
“Ye bloody traitor!” Nalgene exploded, an orb of water forming in his clenched fist. “I saw ye. I saw ye talkin' with the Shadow, talkin' with that purple-eyed freak!”
Behind him Andromeda flinched.
“All o’ that horse shit about oaths and protectin' us and gettin' us to the Flame, well go shove it up yer hairy arse, ye scum! Ye may want to hurt all o’ us, but let me tell ye, I won’t be lettin' that happen!” Nalgene planted his feet into the mud, his face burning a bright red. He panted heavily, and he raised his fist up in front of his face in a clear threat.
Captain Osann stood quietly. For a moment, Nalgene felt a sense of pity for the broken man, but quickly tossed the feeling into the billowing inferno of his fury.
“Nalgene, my dear friend,” Ro said quietly, moving up to stand next to the gnome. “What are you saying? He gave us his oath.” The draconian’s voice wavered with uncertainty.
Nalgene snorted. “Well? Should I tell ‘em?” he snarled. “Or are ye gonna tell ‘em, eh, Osann?”
The Captain looked up at the companions, his normally stoic face torn with emotions. “You don’t understand,” he whispered, his eyes wavering.
“Eh, what was that?” Nalgene screamed.
“You don’t understand,” Captain Osann repeated, his voice growing steadier. “I did what I had to do. We all have our choices to make, and for me — my family …”
The Captain’s voice broke, and his strong shoulders sagged under his great burden. Ro gazed upon him in sympathy.
“Yer bloody family, eh!” Nalgene relentlessly shouted back. “And ye don’t be thinkin' that some of us be havin' families too?”
Thoughts of his brother filled his mind, thoughts of Osann tearing him apart with his flaming greatsword, thoughts of the traitor killing his brother in the darkness of night. His fury overwhelmed his mind, and Nalgene took a step forward, the once tame orb of water growing into a massive globe of destruction. Ro shouted at him, but he ignored it. Andromeda rushed in front of the Captain; her expression torn with an inner conflict. Nalgene snarled at her.
Sacrifices could be made.
Fasto rushed beside him, a pleading look on his face. The orc tried to say something, but Nalgene shut it out. The traitor had to die. No one else saw what he had seen and no one else knew of the Captain’s deception. This was his burden to bear. He heard himself shouting out, heard himself accusing the Captain. He took a final step forward, raising the swirling orb up like a billowing beacon of death. The Captain just stood, his eyes upon the ground, broken. It had to be done.
Suddenly, a frail hand pressed upon Nalgene’s shoulder.
Me brother, ye must understand … I saw him. I tried to tell ye.
The furious torrent of water disappeared, and Nalgene turned to face his brother. SmibSmob stood behind him calmly, an understanding look upon his face. SmibSmob shook his head, locking eyes with his brother.
“Nalgene, we need him,” he said. “We’ve already been over this. He gave us his promise.”
“But, ye don’t understand,” Nalgene replied. “I saw him talkin' with the Shadow.”
“Even if he were with the Shadow,” SmibSmob replied, “he can still guide us to the Flame. We can’t do this alone.”
“SmibSmob’s right, my friend,” Ro jumped in, moving up to stand beside Nalgene. “We need to trust him. We need to trust Mariah.”
Nalgene’s mind whirled. He knew the Captain was a traitor. He knew he meant to break his oath, yet the others — even his dear brother — refused to believe him.
He stammered, at a loss for words.
Why don’t they see it?
He turned back to the Captain, his rage bursting to life whenever he laid his eyes upon the traitor.
Bloody hell, even the durned dragon don’t believe it.
Andromeda stood next to the Captain, her face steeled and unreadable. Captain Osann locked eyes with Nalgene, a desperate look upon his face. The Captain moved his mouth, silently pleading with the furious gnome.
“Captain friend,” Fasto piped in, rushing up and embracing Captain Osann. “Fasto trust friend.”
Nalgene shook his head, turning back to his brother. SmibSmob took a step back from his brother, his pointed hat once again resting upon his head. The gnome’s blue eyes pierced Nalgene, pinning him in place with their knowing stare.
“Nalgene,” SmibSmob said.
Nalgene turned back to the Captain, pointing an accusing finger at him. “A’ight, ye durned scum,” he said threateningly. “Me brother says to trust ye, so I’ll be trustin' ye. But I’ll be trustin' me own two eyes as well. I know what I saw, even if the others don’t believe it. One wrong move from yer hairy arse and yer gone.”
Captain Osann let out a silent sigh of relief, his shoulders high and proud. The Captain’s renewed vigor cast a doubt upon the gnome’s thoughts.
Maybe he is here to help.
But he discarded the thought. He knew what he saw, and he had to stand strong by it.
Captain Osann raised his mighty sword up onto his strong shoulder. He gazed upon the companions with a tangible aura of determination. His deep voice rang out clear. “Come, follow me. I gave you my oath, and I intend to keep it. Even …” He cleared his throat, and glanced at Nalgene, giving him a slight nod.
Nalgene only growled.
“Now, follow me, towards the Light and the Flame,” Captain Osann beckoned.
The Captain led them south upon the dusty road. The land around them grew ever bleaker and more devoid of life. There were
no trees and no shrubs, just vast emptiness. It was a desolate plain, gray smear on the canvas of the world. An aura of despair hung about the air, and the companions looked on, spirits low. The sun still shone with a cold, pale light, and the nights were lonely and dark, the moonless sky bearing in on them like an oppressive shadow. The companions stood ever alert, constantly watching for any sign of undead, but there was none. The land was empty, barren of even the vile minions of the Shadow. Nalgene had the sense that they were being watched, and his mind thought back to the cloaked figure of black, and the blazing, purple eyes, but he saw nothing. As the days passed, Captain Osann lost his vigor, and his eyes started to gaze across the dreadful land, as if searching for something. His confidence grew weary, yet still he pushed them southward with an iron determination.
As the third night began reaching its black grasp across the land, the companions found themselves at a fork in the road, one side branching east while the other continued south. Far to the west lay the edges of the mountain range, the wispy peaks just visible in the coming darkness. What lay to the south, they knew not.
The Captain bid them rest their weary feet for the night. He seemed unsure, and his eyes kept glancing to the west. “Let us rest the night here,” Captain Osann told the companions. “Take care for what shadows may attack from the darkness. We will continue south at the first light of dawn.”
The weary companions eagerly agreed.
Satisfied, the Captain turned to the east, his gaze staring off into the starless night. He muttered something to himself and set off into the enveloping darkness.
Nalgene watched the Captain leave, his mind whirling in suspicion. “And where do ye think yer goin', eh, Osann?” Nalgene asked.
The Captain turned back to him, but he did not meet the gnome’s eyes. “To scout ahead,” he said, his voice as deep and stoic as ever. “Stay at the fork, I shall return before morn.”
With that, he turned away, disappearing into the shadows.
Nalgene snorted.
Like bloody hell I’m stayin' here.
His mind rushed back to the cloaked figure, and he clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
Back to the durned Shadow, ye bloody traitor, I’ll bet a dwarf's hairy arse on it.
He felt an inner fury start to simmer within, but he kept it down. After waiting a moment, he turned back to the others, who were content with resting for the everlasting night. Nalgene chuckled softly to himself.
Bloody traitor, we all be havin' a family we wanna protect. It’s just a matter of how we wanna do it.
“Aight, listen up. Durned Osann left us, and I be thinkin' it's about bloody time we left him.”
Chapter 5
“Great. Another brilliant idea,” Margaret jabbed at Nalgene. “Let’s leave the only person who has any idea where we are because you think we should?”
Margaret shook her head.
Why am I still following these idiots?
She let out a tormented sigh. She wanted to just let it all go, to run across the open lands. More than anything, she wanted freedom. She knew the unforgiving clutches of slavery. She knew the hopeless horror of being alone. She knew the feeling of being trapped by your very own self. And yet, here she was, as much a prisoner as ever, her demonic arm pulsing with its inner life. She resented it, hated what it signified. But there was no escape. Still it pulsed, as much a part of her as it was its own, twisted being. The haunting memories of her early childhood began to boil up from the forgotten depths of her mind, but she cast them away, banishing them from her thoughts.
Glancing around, Margaret was just able to make out her companions in the darkness. None of them seemed to notice, or care for, her back-handed remarked, as they were all too focused on Ro's argument with Nalgene. She chuckled silently to herself.
He’s so willing to become a leader, to become this so-called Beacon, yet he’ll find no followers here. We all heard the voice.
Shaking her head in amusement, Margaret glanced back down to her demonic arm, studying its twisting muscles. She grunted in frustration. Her shoulder ached with a shallow pain, no doubt from idiot gnome’s little outburst from earlier, but she was too proud to admit to it. She did not understand Nalgene, did not care to understand Nalgene. One moment he’s drooling over his brother, and the other, he’s calling down lightning and casting titanic waves of destruction across his wake, nearly killing his frail brother in the process.
What an idiot.
Sighing, Margaret walked over to where the others were gathered.
“I’m tellin' ye,” Nalgene growled at Ro. “Durned Osann is off talkin' with the Shadow. 'Scouting ahead,' me hairy arse.”
“Listen,” Ro shot back. “We can’t be having this pointless argument every time Captain Osann does something.”
Margaret shook her head in amusement. Ro was still trying to control the annoying little gnome. What a fool. Even so, she could not help but feel as if Nalgene were right. Even though she were repulsed by the very thought, she knew the gnome would not lie, especially if SmibSmob were there.
Gazing around, Margaret was just able to make out the forms of SmibSmob and Fasto in the background. SmibSmob stood next to Nalgene, while Fasto sided with Ro.
Andromeda was nowhere to be seen.
Margaret was quite fond of the elusive feline. She felt a sort of kinship to her, as if they had shared some fated part of their past. No matter the situation, Andromeda had always seemed steadfast and sure, pushing forward regardless of what the others thought. But recently Andromeda was distant and closed off. Ever since she had first encountered the Captain, she had hidden away with herself, rarely speaking or interacting with the others. She just moved aimlessly about, waiting for the next horde of undead to strike so she could eagerly rush into the bloody fray. Margaret shook her head. Surprisingly, she felt a sense of grief for Andromeda, some feeling of loss that the feline could have once been so much more.
Margaret’s thoughts were interrupted by a bright flare shining up in the night. She whipped her head about and saw the slender and attractive form of Andromeda, who now held a torch. A jab of envy shot through her, but she quickly buried it.
Andromeda stalked forward to Ro, gently brushing him with her slender tail.
“Perhaps this will help,” Andromeda purred. “No use standing in the darkness.”
Handing the torch over to Ro, Andromeda briefly locked her eyes with Margaret’s. The feline’s eyes narrowed, sparkling in the orange glow of the torch. After a heartbeat, Andromeda looked away, and stalked over to the edge of the light, her expression unreadable.
Margaret’s arm burst to life, pulsing wildly and emanating an icy chill from its twisted, corded muscles. There was something dark buried in the feline, but Margaret did not care to pry.
By the light of the torch, Margaret was able to more clearly make out her companions. Nalgene stood steadfast, his feet planted firmly into the cold ground and his arms crossed over his chest. A snarl covered his face in a mask of rage. Beside him, SmibSmob stood calmly, his brow furrowed in thought. Ro tried to appear calm and in control, but Margaret could see the subtle twitching of his scaled hands, and the slight frown of his clenched maw. Margaret did not know what to think of Fasto. He stood next to Ro, as dumb an expression upon his face as ever, and he stared blankly at the empty sky, drool dripping from the corner of his open mouth.
What an idiot.
Focusing back on the argument, she noticed Ro faltering. The draconian knew that Nalgene was right. He just did not want to admit it.
What a leader.
“Ye durned dragon,” Nalgene fumed. “I couldn’t give a dwarf's hairy arse about the dark. Nothin' spooky about some night. We got a torch now, too. I be sayin' it’s about bloody time we leave, and head east, away from the bloody traitor.”
“No, we wait,” Ro replied, his voice wavering. “He gave us his oath.”
“And the durned bastard’s gonna break it, ye dolt!” Nalgene roared
.
Fasto blinked, as if he had some grand epiphany. His face beamed with excitement, and he turned to Nalgene, a wild look on his face. “Fasto think —”
“Ah, shut it, ye bloody dolt!” Nalgene shouted at the orc. Fasto gasped, and an injured look appeared on his face. Nalgene raised his fist, shaking it threateningly. “Now, ye listen here, ye durned dragon, I be sayin' we go east, so we be goin' east!”
“But,” Ro started, raising his fist up to match the gnome’s. “We have no way of knowing where we would be going in this forsaken land. Captain Osann does. He can guide us.”
“I can be durned where we would be goin', as long as it’s away from that bloody traitor!”
“I don’t mean to be the obvious one,” SmibSmob jumped in. “But it’s the middle of the night. If we’re going to head east, we had better do it now. But if not, I would like to get some sleep.”
“Ah, ye see?” Nalgene shouted triumphantly. “Me brother thinks we should head east … eh, wait what’d ye say?”
Margaret snickered. Walking up, she made a point to stand next to Ro, desperately wanting him to look at her. “That’s the first intelligent thing I’ve heard in this whole argument.” She shook her head, pretending not to care of what the others thought of her remark. But when Ro said nothing, a jab of frustration shot through her. She could only growl.
“Exactly!” Nalgene exclaimed, giving Margaret a nod of approval. “Even the durned orc be thinkin' that we should be headin' east!”
Margaret rolled her eyes.
Ro started to reply, but his vain attempt at an argument was cut off by a dangerous purr from Andromeda, who was moving up to join the others. Her tail lashed back and forth violently, and her eyes gleamed with a murderous light. Even in the glowing light from the torch, she seemed a moving shadow, as if she were some otherworldly specter, her body fading in and out of the darkness. Margaret suddenly found the argument incredibly interesting.
“I have to agree with the gnome,” Andromeda said softly, moving up to stand in front of Ro. She placed a gentle hand upon the draconian’s chest, and gazed up at him with wide, open eyes. Margaret twitched. The feline ran her hand down the draconian’s strong chest, a soothing purr of affection emitting from her.
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