A Land in Shadow

by Daniel Whitman

  The white boat came to a rest in front of the companions, stopping on the river bed.

  “I thought you would be happy to see me again,” Ashyla chided playfully.

  “What do you want?” Andromeda asked, her voice steady. She would not let another outburst happen again. She had had much time to think on their last encounter with the Goddess, and she refused to let Ashyla toy with her emotions.

  Ashyla glanced down to the feline, noticing Andromeda’s newfound resolve.

  “My dear Andromeda, what ever happened to my offer?” she teased. “Are you going to let it all slip away?”

  Andromeda growled, but she did not falter. “Answer the question.”

  Ashyla shrugged, unconcerned, and gestured to the boat. “Isn’t it obvious?” she said. “I am here to save you from this horrible Shadow.”

  “Right,” Margaret snorted. “Is that what you did to the Captain? Save him from the Shadow?”

  Ashyla smiled. “Exactly.”

  “No!” Andromeda hissed, her halberd appearing in her hand. “You killed him. And you would have killed us.”

  Ashyla appeared hurt, and she reeled back under Andromeda’s harsh accusation.

  “My dear Andromeda, when have I ever tried to kill you?” she asked. Her soft voice grew colder. “Poor Osann was a most troubled man. I was simply giving him what he deserved. I can assure you, it had nothing to do with you.”

  “Nobody deserves death,” SmibSmob piped in, his voice seeming feeble in the presence of the imposing Goddess.

  “Oh, is that truly what you think?” Ashyla asked, her gaze turning to the small gnome. “What of traitors? Liars? Murderers? My dear, it is never so simple.”

  “The Captain was a good man,” Andromeda growled through clenched teeth. Margaret nodded in agreement.

  Ashyla shrugged.

  “Is that what he told you?” she asked. “Perhaps he was. Or perhaps you should have listened to your poor gnome when you had the chance.”

  Andromeda prepared to launch a cold retort, but Margaret cut her off.

  “Are you here to taunt us?” Margaret asked. “To play with us? Or can we return to being slaughtered by the wraith?”

  Ashyla sighed. “My dear, did I not already tell you? I am here to save you.”

  “Why?” Andromeda asked, not hiding her skepticism.

  “My dears, why would I want you dead?”

  Margaret let out an exasperated sigh, throwing up her arms in defeat. “This is going nowhere,” she snarled. “Time to wake up the wraith.”

  Just she spoke the words, another howling screech cut through the air — but not from the frozen wraith. Two icy eyes ignited across the river, and another terrifying wraith appeared from the shadows, its dark cloak swirling about in an icy aura. Raising its vicious claws, it began its steady approach.

  Alarmed, the companions turned back to Ashyla. If they could not defeat a single wraith, what hope did they have against two?

  “Why should we trust you?” Andromeda asked, growing frantic. She was less than eager to battle with another wraith.

  Ashyla smiled. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”

  She raised her hand, and the frozen wraith jerked forward before returning to its frozen state. She glanced down to her sword, then back up to the companions. “We have the same goal, so why not help each other?”

  “No,” Andromeda said unwavering. She glanced down to the unconscious Ro before locking upon Ashyla once more. “No,” she repeated, her voice softer.

  Ashyla shrugged, and her eyes glittered with some hidden motive.

  “Perhaps not,” she said softly, glancing at her marvelous sword again, and then at her bloodied hand. Her eyes met the companions once more, and she disappeared into a swarm of black butterflies, soaring off into the still wind.

  Andromeda turned to the others.

  “Let’s go,” she ordered, leaping aboard the white boat.

  “Unbelievable,” Margaret grumbled under her breath. Shaking her head, she glanced up to Andromeda. With a sigh, she boarded the boat.

  Fasto watched the exchange with dull confusion. There was too much gray in this shadowy world, too much confusion. He needed black and white. Fasto needed his friends. Shrugging, and eager to escape the two wraiths, he reached down and hauled Nalgene and Ro back upon his strong shoulders. SmibSmob grabbed the orc’s bow and quiver.

  The wraith across the river released another shriek, and the butterfly that was perched upon the frozen wraith fell off its arm, flapping away. It had completed its job.

  Enraged, the wraith shot forward, its icy claw slashing through the air with a harsh whistle. Its eyes shot up, locking upon the companions. It would end what it started. Howling, it charged at Fasto, who was scrambling to board the boat.

  Fasto watched the approaching wraith with steady resolve. He would be the last to board the boat. Fasto would protect his friends. With a strained grunt, he heaved Ro up to the deck, and Nalgene followed soon after.

  The wraith’s eyes bore into him, cutting into his mind, and bringing his nightmares to life.

  “Faster you idiot!” Margaret cried. The other wraith was already tearing at the side of the hull with its razor claws, ripping wood planks away with every slash.

  Holding his broken arms out, Fasto grabbed SmibSmob, and with a hiss of pain, launched him up to the deck. He would be the last to board. He would protect his friends.

  The wraith lunged, its icy claws reaching forward like a fractured spear.

  Fasto leaped up, just avoiding the deadly strike, and crawled up to the deck, both Andromeda and Margaret pulling him to safety. As soon as he lay upon the deck, the boat lurched, and pulled away from the shore, turning downstream. The wraiths screeched in rage, and followed in hot pursuit, but the white boat was too swift. There was no wind, and no sail, yet still it soared down the winding river in an eerily smooth ride.

  Fasto glanced to the others. Ro lay unconscious next to him, the draconian's body covered with frosty gashes and frozen blood. Yet he was breathing. Fasto smiled. He had protected his friend. Nalgene was still unconscious and was clutching his crystalline bottle in a calloused hand. SmibSmob sat next to his brother, his breath ragged from the strain of the encounter. Both Andromeda and Margaret watched at the bow of the boat, their eyes searching the distant horizon. A tangible respect sparked between them, and they seemed closer than ever. Perhaps fighting side-by-side for each other's lives could create such bonds.

  Satisfied, Fasto laid back, casting his gaze up to the cold, gray sky above. It was no forest canopy, but still it soothed him all the same. A warm sensation covered the boat, as if it were a safe-haven, a sort of salvation. Exhausted, the orc was more than content at letting the white ship drift off to sea. The barren landscape trotted by, desolate plains of murky shadow passing without any sign of movement. The massive storm of shadow, the Dreadring, that Fasto had seen to the south drifted by with the land, was soon to be forgotten. There was no indication of where the companions were going, or when they would finally stop, but Fasto did not care. He had protected his friends.

  Fasto smiled.

  Chapter 12

  Ro opened his eyes. His entire body was bruised and battered from the scramble against the wraith, with gruesome gashes now scabbed over from the undead ghoul’s vicious claws.

  What happened?

  He shook his head, his vision growing clear, and he glanced around. He was laying upon a bed of white sand, a cloak gently placed over him like a makeshift blanket. A salty breeze tickled his nose, and the faint crashes of the ocean waves murmured in the background.

  Where am I?

  Beside Ro lay Nalgene, who was still unconscious from his heroic efforts with the undead serpent, his crystalline bottle still clenched in his iron grip. SmibSmob’s purple cloak lay across the sleeping gnome. Not ten paces away, the rest of the companions sat huddled around a dim, flickering fire, their eyes lost within the dancing flames. They all looked just as r
agged and beaten as Ro. Both Andromeda and Margaret were covered with bruises and scratches, and Fasto’s arms were mangled and shattered. Behind the companions, resting upon the shore of the white beach was a marvelous white ship. Planks of wood were missing from the front of the hull, and crisscrossing slashes marred the once-flawless white bow. Something seemed off about the ship, but Ro could not place it.

  What happened?

  The last thing Ro remembered was his final charge against the wraith in an attempt to save the others. He remembered the wraith’s fearsome claws, and its terrifying blue eyes. And the pain … But after that, his mind was empty.

  How did I get here?

  As much as his mind yearned for the answers to these mysteries, a sudden realization captured his thoughts. The others were safe! Battered and bruised, yes, but alive and safe, nonetheless.

  Shaking his head once more, and convincing himself this was not some dastardly illusion, Ro slowly rose to his feet, his muscles straining with the effort. As he rose, the companions looked up from the tantalizing fire, their eyes lighting up with joy. A wide smile beamed on SmibSmob’s face, and he began running toward Ro. While Margaret’s face remained stoic, her eyes betrayed her happiness. Andromeda waited patiently behind the others, a genuine smile on her lips. Upon seeing Ro, Fasto howled with glee, and bolted over to the draconian, overtaking SmibSmob, and smothering Ro with a warm embrace — or as best an embrace as he could manage with his broken arms.

  “Friend safe!” Fasto cried. Ro could have sworn the orc was sobbing. “Fasto protect friend!” The orc detached himself from Ro, and proudly held up his shattered arms for Ro to see. “Fasto help dragon friend! Fasto break arms!”

  Unsure of how to respond to Fasto, but not wanting to diminish the orc’s overwhelming joy, Ro simply smiled and nodded, hoping the dull orc would accept his answer.

  “Ah, don’t mind him,” SmibSmob chuckled, finally catching up to Fasto. “He … uh … well, he did protect you, that’s for sure.”

  “He almost got himself killed, is more like it,” Margaret teased Fasto. Of course, it went straight over the orc’s head. Shaking her head, Margaret jogged over to Ro, a smile finally breaking through her stoicism.

  “It’s good to have you back,” she said, shooting Ro a wink. “With both you and Nalgene gone, it was getting rather boring. Who knew I would actually miss your arguments?”

  Ro chuckled, and nodded his head. He was still quite overwhelmed by it all, but he figured it would work itself out eventually.

  “Right,” he stammered, finding it difficult to express his joy and relief. “I’m glad you are all alright. I figured, when I charged that wraith, that …”

  He shook his head, unwilling to finish the thought.

  “Mmmm, you had nothing to worry about,” Andromeda purred, finally joining the merry gathering. She moved to stand beside Ro, her tail gently brushing against his back. She knew what he was going to say. They all knew what he was going to say.

  “This dullard had it all under control,” she said, pointing to Fasto.

  The orc beamed with pride, and he forcefully nodded his head. “Fasto protect friend! Fasto protect friends!” he began chanting, spittle flying from his mouth.

  “Oh, now you’ve done it,” Margaret sighed, rolling her eyes. Andromeda shot her a mischievous look.

  “I’m sure he did,” Ro chuckled. But his smile faded, and his voice grew serious. “But what happened? And where are we?”

  It was time to get some answers.

  “Ah, well,” SmibSmob started, trying to speak over the chanting Fasto. “Fasto saved you from the wraith, and then … uh … well, the beautiful woman appeared on this boat, and, well, we climbed on and sailed away. After a couple days, we landed here. I reckon we’re on some other continent, by the looks of it.”

  Ro studied the gnome for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around the story. “The beautiful woman?” he asked, his brow furrowing in thought. “As in the woman who killed the Captain?”

  “The very same,” Andromeda said.

  Ro glanced over to the feline, expecting to see some hint of the turmoil that had once torn at her. There was none, and that pleased Ro.

  The story was not piecing together in his mind, but he did not press the others. He had no doubt they were speaking the truth, for why they would lie to him now?

  “Well, it doesn’t matter,” Ro said, putting the matter behind them. “What now?”

  Fasto ceased his pointless chanting and fixed his gaze upon Ro. “Fasto follow dragon friend,” he stated, giving his best attempt at a salute.

  “Indeed,” Andromeda purred, her sparkling eyes looking up to the draconian like two, swirling saucers. “Now, that you’re finally awake, I was hoping you would tell us.”

  Ro paused at her words and scanned the companions. There they stood, awaiting his thoughts. Awaiting his lead. Even Margaret, although she would never admit to it. He opened his mouth, but closed it, and glanced around at the surrounding land. It was the same, barren wasteland of desolation. Not a single tree or shrub could be seen. There was only the churning ocean, and the vast expanse of forsaken plains.

  What now indeed.

  It was for him to decide. He opened his mouth once more, but before he could say anything, a loud coughing fit sounded from by his feet.

  “Bah!” Nalgene grunted, finally awaking from his unconsciousness. Grumbling, the rough gnome rose to his feet, dropped his miraculous bottle, and brushed the white sand from his blue cloak. He violently shook his head and look around him. “What in the bloody hell?”

  Before he could continue, he was smothered by an ecstatic SmibSmob, who wrapped his brother in a loving embrace, tears streaming down his thin face.

  “Nalgene, my brother!” SmibSmob managed to say through his tears. “You’re alright!”

  Startled, Nalgene stumbled back a couple steps, but quickly returned the embrace. “Ah, me brother, I never be better.”

  Ro watched the spectacle with a wide smile. There was true, brotherly love, and nothing would able to break it.

  “Well isn’t that nice,” Margaret mumbled.

  “Aye, ye durned orc,” Nalgene growled, releasing his brother and stepping forward, a stubby finger pointed at Margaret. “I be hearin' that. So why don’t ye be lettin' us have this moment, eh?”

  Ro laughed. Somethings never change.

  “Eh, did I be sayin' somethin' funny, ye durned dragon?” Nalgene shot, turning to face Ro, his face red with a heated anger.

  “Nalgene,” SmibSmob whispered, placing a hand upon Nalgene’s robust shoulder. But the frail gnome did not have to say anything else. Immediately, Nalgene’s fuming facade fell away, and a brilliant smile appeared on the gnome’s face.

  “Bah! I be just messin' with ye, ye durned dragon!” Nalgene rushed forward and took the draconian’s hand in a firm clasp. He turned to the others, his smile emitting an irresistible joy. “It be good to finally be back.”

  Ro glanced down to the gnome, stunned. Some things never change, right? Well, perhaps they do.

  The others watched Nalgene with similar surprise. Even SmibSmob had not seen this turn coming.

  “Ah, don’t be lookin' too excited to be havin' me back,” Nalgene joked. Grunting, he released Ro, and turned about, studying the surrounding land. “Now, where in the bloody hell are we? I be takin' it that the bloody serpent got us across the lake?”

  SmibSmob chuckled. “My brother, we have a lot to tell you.”

  Ro smiled as the others filled Nalgene in on the recent events. He glanced down to his hand, still shocked by the gnome’s behavior. For once, they had not burst into a raging argument. Nothing was making sense to the draconian. From their arrival on another continent, to Nalgene’s open friendliness, the pieces certainly were not fitting in his mind. And Ro was content with that fact. He did not have to understand it, he just had to accept it.

  “Eh, yer tellin' me we be on another bloody continent?” Nalgene roared,
stamping his feet on the sandy ground.

  Ro smiled. Some things never change.

  “What in the bloody hell?” Nalgene continued, scratching his head in thought.

  “It’s true, look around you,” Margaret said, gesturing to the desolate earth around them. “It looks completely different from where we were.”

  “Ah, I be knowin' it’s the truth, ye dolt,” Nalgene snorted. “I just be wonderin' why ye trusted that durned butterfly witch.”

  “She didn’t exactly give us much of a choice,” Andromeda stated flatly, her tail twitching behind her.

  “There always be a choice,” Nalgene grumbled, shaking his head. “Ah well, ye can’t be changin' what ye did, ye can only be changin' what ye do.”

  “Aren’t you the philosophical one?” Margaret shot at the gnome, a thin smile on her lips.

  “Fasto friend wise,” the orc said, his mouth agape in awe of Nalgene.

  Nalgene snorted.

  “Well, ye all be seemin' pretty beat up,” he said, raising his hands. Water began to flow from his fingertips. “Let me see what I can be doin' to fix that.”

  One by one, Nalgene cast his healing magic across the companions, stitching together their many bloody gashes and mending their numerous swollen bruises. Energy coursed through them, and it became abundantly apparent how much they had taken Nalgene’s soothing powers for granted. Without him, there was no doubt they would all be dead many times over. It was a fact they would not forget. As the gnome cast his swirling water over Ro, a humbling sense of gratitude filled the draconian. His blood washed away from him, and the frosty slices across his arm began to seal themselves shut. But as the slashes closed, Ro cut the gnome short, insisting that Nalgene allow the wound to fully heal by itself. After some persuasion, and a lot of being called a “beardless dwarf” and a “bloody dolt,” Ro finally managed to convince Nalgene to end the healing. Ro hoped the gruesome gashes would scar, to forever serve as a reminder of his arrogance.

  When Nalgene reached Fasto, the gnome took Fasto’s arms in a gentle grip.

  “What in the bloody hell happened to ye, ye durned orc?” Nalgene murmured, studying the gruesome wounds. After a long moment, Nalgene began to heal the horrifying injuries.