by Logan Knight
The nadodee hissed and began thrashing. It caught me on my cheek with the edge of its tentacle as I rolled to the side. The wound stung, but I’d been hurt worse.
The beast began backing up toward Alena. She’d regained her feet but appeared to be frozen with fright.
“Move!” I said.
Alena blinked once, then stepped to the side as the nadodee’s tail got close. She struck it several times with her sword, and when that didn’t work, started probing violently between its scales, searching for a soft spot.
The situation looked like it was about to get worse when the biggest spider I’d ever seen climbed out of the trees about ten yards behind the woman. It was almost as large as a Dahani dire wolf and looked like it could eat one for a snack.
The spider turned its head from her, to the thrashing nadodee, then to me. The chaos and the sight of the powerful creature losing a battle against fleshy opponents were enough to convince it that none of us looked like a good meal. It fled into the treetops, nearly falling to the ground in its haste.
As the nadodee thrashed and backed away from me, it looked like it was trying to use one of its short, thick forelegs to grasp the sword and pull it out. I couldn’t let that happen. It was hurt, and I needed to finish the job.
I crept closer, and a second later, the creature’s thrashing brought the hilt to me. One swift kick against the sword drove the blade in another couple of inches. The nadodee hissed, so I kicked the sword again. The beast twitched, and I kicked the sword a third time.
The creature stilled, except for its tail, which vibrated and twitched, so I kicked the sword twice more, burying it to the hilt. Then I fired an arrow into one of its eyes, just to be sure.
Alena had been beating on the nadodee for quite some time, but the creature’s tail didn’t have a scratch on it. That, combined with my magical arrow’s inability to pierce its hide, made it clear why she and the sprites had been so worried.
Silverwind emerged from a nearby tree as I tugged on my blade. The sword was coming out, but I felt it vibrate as it scratched against the tentacle. I wasn’t sure how much of the blade would be left when I pulled it free.
“Hmm,” the sprite leader said as he inspected the body. He didn’t get too close to its head until he’d flown around the creature’s body for several seconds, poking it experimentally with the tip of his tiny sword. Then he jabbed one of its eyes before he sheathed his weapon and buzzed close to my face.
“You killed a nadodee,” he said, his voice hushed with awe and wonder. “I don’t remember ever seeing a dead one.” Then he turned to Alena, who was also staring at the beast. “Have you?”
“No,” she said as she sheathed her sword. “I’ve never even heard of it happening before. I can hardly believe it.
The rest of the sprites joined their leader and buzzed around the body whispering among themselves as they glanced between its stone-like hide and my face.
With one final tug, I pulled the sword free and inspected the blade. It was still in decent shape, but it had long gouges where the spikes on the creature’s mouth-tentacle had dug into it.
“Nadodee are ancient,” Alena said to me. “They do whatever they want. Entire villages have moved when someone discovered one nearby. No one has ever stopped one. Nothing eats them. There aren’t many of these things in the world, and it’s likely you just made this entire area safer for those living here.”
“I didn’t even know this one was here,” Silverwind added. He’d landed on the creature’s head and stared into its cluster of eyes. “Had I known, I would have begun preparations for moving to a new grove. I would have abandoned the home we’d had for hundreds of years to avoid the beast. You have saved us, stinky human. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, still absorbing and processing how much what I had done had meant to everyone. “But we need to get back to the task at hand, and I need your help. Check the bodies for a gold amulet shaped like a bat.”
Alena and the sprites got to work while I walked around the dead nadodee, searching for a weak spot I might be able to exploit to cut it open. If none of the bodies held an amulet, gutting the creature might have been my only choice.
“Found one!” Alena said, holding it up for me to see. She brought it to me and placed it in my hand.
I studied the amulet carefully as I turned it over several times. There were markings on it—runes—which I recognized as resembling those on my palms. I closed my eyes then reached into the heat of power within my mind and allowed it to caress the item, probe it, and uncover its secrets.
“The amulet is magical,” I said. “It confirms my suspicions. The magic is faint at the moment, but I bet as the sun goes down, it will increase. We need to hurry to the prison. We’ve got to get there before sundown, or we’ll lose the advantage of surprise.”
Alena glanced at the position of the sun and turned to me. “We can make it,” she said. “But we’re going to have to hurry.”
9
The sprites stared at me like they couldn’t believe I was real. I’d killed a creature they’d always believed was immortal.
The nadodee had been a powerful and dangerous opponent. It seemed to be able to nullify magic with its tough rock-like hide, and it had a tongue that resembled a crystal-encrusted tentacle, which it used to eat rocks and animals.
I’d received a small scratch on my leg for my efforts, but it wasn’t as bad as the damage the creature’s tongue had inflicted on my sword. And I planned relieve some guard of his weapon once we got to the prison.
We’d traveled for hours, picking our way as quickly as we could through the dark forest, full of undergrowth, hiding places, and dangerous creatures I was certain I wouldn’t recognize, but we needed to move quickly and get to the fortress before the sun went down and we could be tracked again. If we didn’t make it, the guards would know we were headed toward them and from which direction we were advancing. They’d be able to setup defenses, which would make our task more difficult.
The sky grew dim, and the few guards on the walls began lighting torches. They didn’t seem concerned, and none looked to the bushes at the edge of the forest even though we were only about fifty yards away. They couldn’t detect us yet.
I pulled the amulet from my pocket and closed my eyes, focusing on it. It still felt like the magic within its crystal was dim, dark, and asleep. When that changed, I knew, many eyes would be turned my direction.
The walls were just as tall as they were before. I wondered if our only option for making entry would be the front gate. It was possible, but it would also be dangerous. As the only entrance to the place, it was sure to be guarded—if it was even open.
Delving into my mind and reaching into the power I felt there, I searched for a spell that might get us past the outer wall. I touched a spell momentarily, but when I reached for it, it fell through my fingers. It was like trying to hold air. I had a feeling that if I kept at it, I’d be able to snare, but we didn’t have time for me to sit and be still.
I didn’t try it the night before, because I wasn’t sure how well-defended the sprites were in their little grove, and I wanted to be ready for anything.
“So,” Alena whispered, “are we climbing it? I’ll probably have to stretch first if we are.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I said. “Looks like we’ll need to assault the front gate. I don’t see any other way in.”
“We could sneak in and kill the guards,” Silverwind said, scratching his chin. “At least one of them. Then we might have to flee.”
“Do you have any spells that could get us on top of the wall?” I asked.
“No,” another of the sprites said, “but we have wings. And there are thirty of us. We could fly you to the top of the wall. Then you could kill the guards, and we could set small fires here and there. It would be fun!” The little sprite was breathing heavy. Her maniacal smile was both amusing and disturbing. Sprites—at least that one—liked to set fires.
�
��Sounds like a plan to me,” I said to Silverwind. “Shall we?”
He nodded and turned his attention back to the fortress.
“I’ll go first,” I said. “Let’s get close, though.” I didn’t want the sprites to wear themselves out before we even got to the wall.
I watched the guards for a long minute, waiting to see what their routine looked like. They didn’t appear to have one, so I snuck about thirty feet to my left, and the next time the guard nearest me turned away, I dashed across the field of stone and grass to the wall, sprites trailing close behind.
When I was sure nobody had spotted us, I nodded to the sprite nearest me and lifted my arms. Thirty sets of small claws grasped my clothes and lifted me from the ground. There were a few soft grunts, but when we reached the top, the sprites looked like they were ready for more. I crouched low and motioned for them to get Alena.
The guard nearest me turned back to the wall, so I lifted my hands, readying my magical arrow. When he leaned forward and squinted into the darkness, I knew he’d spotted the sprites heading back into the woods. An arrow into the man’s temple silenced him, and his body flopped onto the battlement.
The five other guards were too far away to notice. It wasn’t nearly enough to provide the kind of protection the fortress required, but I was glad for it. I snuck over to the man’s body, took his sword, and heaved his corpse over the side. He landed with a bone-crunching thump, but nobody seemed to notice.
I peeked over the edge of the battlement and spotted Alena sprinting toward the wall a second later. A second after that, I heard footsteps coming from a stairwell going down.
Two guards appeared, but they were too engaged in their conversation to notice me.
“He’s going to kill us,” one said. “We lost the prisoners. We can be replaced.”
“He won’t,” the other said. “We’re the only thing protecting him right now. The army isn’t going to come out here and keep him safe.”
When I raised my hand, a magic phrase on my tongue, one of them spotted me and pulled his comrade’s head down. I had aimed at the first one, though. My arrow buried itself in his eye.
“Sound the alarm!” the other guard said as he ran down the stairs. “Intruders on the wall! Sound the alarm!”
I waited and wondered if the alarm would be the horn I’d heard before, or if it would just the guard screaming his head off. Based on the next several seconds, it sounded like it was going to be the yelling.
Alena joined me on the wall a second later then crouched and drew her sword. “You’ve been spotted?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, “but the response has been something other than impressive.”
“Seriously,” she agreed. “This place should be swarming right now. What are they waiting for?”
“Maybe the priest made good on his promise to sacrifice a bunch of them,” I offered. “Or, maybe we killed most of them on our way out. Either way, be cautious. I felt the amulet flare to life a few seconds ago. They know exactly where we are. Let’s go.”
The sprites were lounging on the battlement. Some were lying on their backs while others stood with their hands on their knees. Even though there were thirty of them, carrying two people to the top of the wall had taken most of their energy. They healed quickly, but it would still take time for them to recover.
“Silverwind,” I said, “we’re heading in. We have to bring the fight to the guards before they have too much time to prepare. Join us when you can.”
The sprite leader waved us off.
We hurried down the stairs, swords at the ready, and retreated just as quickly. Arrows clattered against the stone steps as soon as our legs came into view of archers somewhere down the hallway.
The guards on the battlements had still not advanced, though. I thought they were probably worried our attack was nothing more than a decoy against an even larger one coming in behind us. Their job was to man the post, and without a commander present to change their orders, they seemed remiss to do otherwise. It was good thinking, even if it was wrong.
With the closest way down protected by archers, Alena and I raced along the wall to the nearest tower. The defensive structures always had a way to get to them from within the fortress.
The door to the tower was locked. It was the same kind of banded, wooden barricade my prison cell used to have. “Sustu Fragili!” I shouted a second before kicked the door . There was a grunt from the other side when the lock turned to powder and the door slammed into a guard on the other side. Two more kicks and the man on the other side was out cold.
We entered the tower, and I closed the door behind us. Alena dragged the bloodied, unconscious guard in front of it to slow any pursuers who might try to come through.
The room was circular. Three arrow slits gave anyone inside protected positions to fire upon enemies attacking the nearby section of the wall. A wooden ladder provided access to the upper and lower levels.
The guard was snoring, and we were in a hurry. Today was his lucky day. If he didn’t bleed out from his injuries, he’d live to tell about them.
I went down the ladder first with Alena close behind. At the bottom were a single small room and an open doorway leading further into the fortress. It was well-lit by torches, as was the hallway outside.
It appeared that four guards had dragged a table into the hallway, set it on its side, and were taking cover behind it. Apparently, prison guards weren’t issued shields. That was fine with me. I drew my sword.
One of the guards had a bow—though it didn’t look like he knew how to use it. His hands shook, and the expression on his face told me he was frightened and unsure of himself. If he managed to shoot me, it would be accidental.
The sprites joined us a moment later, and I instructed them to stay behind cover.
“What for?” one asked.
“Because of the humans behind the table over there,” another said.
“But they’re so far away,” the first complained.
“How about you go set that table on fire,” I said.
They looked at each other and smiled. A second later, all the sprites swarmed down the hallway. A few seconds after that, they returned, and the guards began to curse.
It appeared that each of them had set a fire. It might’ve been overkill, but the guards had been forced to back away from the heat and smoke.
I vaulted over the table and surprised my enemies. The first, directly in front of me, caught my flying knee to his chin.
The second had his mouth covered with one hand and took a feeble swing at me with his sword. I blocked it, reversed my strike, and removed two of the fingers holding his blade. His scream became a wet, bubbling sound when I severed his windpipe. He fell to his knees and gaped at me with an expression of disbelief as he tried to staunch the bleeding from his neck and hand.
The third guard was the one with a bow. He dropped his weapon and fled, Alena on his heels. She stopped a moment later and let him go when I engaged the final guard. The man looked like he’d been involved in a lot of fights, but I couldn’t tell if he’d won any. His face was so scarred, it was impossible to tell what he might’ve looked like before.
The brute came in low, trying to slice my kneecap, but I caught his blade against my own and countered with a punch. He ducked, spotted Alena sneaking up behind him, and kicked hard at her.
Alena ducked, lost her footing, and skidded to a halt in front of him. His blade was pointed at her mouth, his foot on her throat.
“Surrender and accept your fate, prisoner,” the guard growled.
I answered by sending an arrow through his ugly face, then I lunged forward and deflected his blade away from Alena as he fell.
She rolled out of the way and hopped to her feet. “Thanks again,” she said. “I’m going to give you something extra special for saving my life again.” She winked. I knew exactly what she meant but turned my attention back to the battle.
We’d been in the temple long enough for th
e priest to be worried. I wanted to get to him before he had a chance to escape, so I called Silverwind over.
“I need you to send a couple of scouts out,” I told him. “I don’t want the priest to get away. If they spot him during any of the fighting, I want one to stay with him to harass and slow him as much as possible. I want the other to find me and let me know where he’s heading.”
Silverwind nodded then pointed to two of his people and sent them down the hallway. They quickly vanished from sight.
“Let’s go,” I said.
A guard stepped out from a side passage and gaped at me before raising his sword. He looked like he was ready to fight until he noticed the squad of sprites hovering near my head. With a squeak of surprise, he turned and fled.
“Charge!” Silverwind bellowed in his high-pitched voice. He and the rest of the sprites flapped their leathery wings in pursuit of the unlucky guard.
Alena and I advanced. We checked the side-passages as we moved but didn’t see any stairs.
The hallway turned to the right about ten yards ahead, but I heard something coming from a closed door on the left. It sounded like whispering, so I held up my hand to stop Alena.
She looked at me in confusion for a second. When I pointed to my ear, then the door, she nodded.
The guards must have thought they were going to wait until we had passed by so they could attack us from behind. If we waited too long, though, they might double-back through an unseen door and sneak up on us when we weren’t expecting it. I decided to set off their trap.
I motioned what I intended to do for my companion. She nodded as a mischievous smile spread across her face.
We walked past the room, and as we did, the whispering stopped.
“How far away do you think the treasury is?” Alena whispered.
I caught on to what she was doing right away. “I’m not sure,” I whispered, “but they wouldn’t put it on the top level. If the fortress got attacked by a proper army, it would be too difficult to defend. Come on, let’s go before we run into any more guards.”
