by Thomas Rath
“Pet?” his gravely voice grated across her nerves. Tam’s heart thumped in her chest like it was pounding on her ribcage trying to get free. It couldn’t be.
“Krog,” she said in a dazed whisper. Her muscles felt frozen as the troll that had been her master, the one who she’d become dependant upon for dranlok, the one she would have done anything for to get her fix, stood before her, a mocking smile playing across his dry lips.
He laughed at her while bringing his club down slowly to rest against his thigh. Then reaching back for something on his belt he produced a water skin and held it out in front of him. “I bet you want this,” he sneered, waving the skin in front of her in a taunting manner. “Come. Get your drink, pet. I won’t make you eat slug to have it.”
Tam felt her right foot suddenly move forward as if on its own accord. Then her left as she slowly made her way down the hall toward the troll and his blessed offering. Her mouth felt dry and she licked her lips to wet them with a swollen tongue.
“That’s it,” he growled. The others watched on with interest at their companion’s seeming power over the enemy and wondered if all of his earlier braggadocio had not held some particles of truth.
Tam lowered her sword and dragged it behind her as she covered the last few steps and came to stop right in front of her master. She looked at the skin, her tongue darting out to lick her lips once more before tentatively raising her other hand to take hold.
Krog smiled, pulling the dranlok back in mocking before finally yanking off the top and pushing the container forward into Tam’s open fingers. “Yes,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Your master returns.”
She looked at him briefly, her eyes welling up with tears before she finally lifted the skin and pressed it to her lips. She could smell the strong odor that marked the liquid as the one she’d done unspeakable things to have. It seemed to awaken something deep within that got her heart pumping faster, her cheeks growing in color as she inhaled in anticipation. Closing her eyes, a tear dripped over her eyelid and slid down her cheek and she could hear the trolls laughing at her.
And then, in one fluid motion, her eyes popped open as her sword came up. Too late for Krog whose head was back just perfectly as he took in a breath preparing to snicker again as her sword sliced through his neck, turning his scoff into a gurgle as he dropped to the floor. She flung the dranlok at the nearest troll behind him while cutting quickly with her sword across his belly and then turned around and ran, knowing all too well that she could not stand against so many alone.
She could hear the screams of rage and feel the thundering of feet against the carpeted floor as she raced headlong down the corridor praying that she didn’t run into another group of the enemy. Though she was quick, she knew she could not match the trolls’ long strides that quickly ate up the ground between them. She could almost feel their breath on her neck when a stairway leading both up and down came into view. She knew that she needed to go higher to fight the dragons with her arrow, but to do so would increase the chances of meeting more of the enemy alone. She made her decision quickly, and without hesitation, bound down the stairs to the level below.
The trolls were almost tripping over one another to close the gap now as their quarry was mere feet away. She had to turn and fight or be bludgeoned from behind without a struggle. She heard one of the trolls cry out in pain as she whipped around with her sword, surprised that only one of the remaining four was bearing down on her. The others had turned back, as if suddenly engaged in another fight. Swinging her blade with all of her strength, Tam aimed for his neck, hoping to end the fight quickly but the troll blocked it easily with his club with such force that her sword went flying out of her hand and clattered harmlessly against the far wall. She reached for her other sword but the troll was too quick grabbing her and pulling her close, a roar of fury escaping his lips. His breath and odor were enough to gag her as he drew her in, his teeth bared as if he intended to eat her on the spot. Her hand pressed against the rough skin on his chest as she tried to wiggle her way fee, but the troll was too strong, and chuckled mockingly at her efforts.
Reaching for her Tane, she thought, at first, to create a blast of air to knock the troll back and free her, but she feared that the force of it might rip her arms from her shoulders should the troll not let her go. A whirlwind would harm her as much as it would harm the enemy, mostly likely bashing both of their skulls against the stone walls. There had to be another way.
The troll was looking at her now, a low growl in its throat, saliva escaping its slightly parted lips as it leaned forward preparing to take a bite out of her flesh. She struggle futilely when a sudden sliver of inspiration struck her. It seemed almost too absurd at first but quickly germinated into a logical conclusion as she reached out with her Tane into the troll’s body. And why not, it worked with water. The connection was almost instantaneous, almost too easy, as she called to the air within him. With a forceful whoosh, the oxygen was instantly drawn out leaving his skin a sudden bluish color, his face frozen in a look of triumph as his grip slackened and he dropped to the floor. Not waiting to see if he would be able to recover by drawing in breath again, she quickly drew her second sword and pierced him through the heart, making certain he remained dead.
Almost at the same moment, the last of the other trolls fell back grasping its neck as it too, fell in the last throws of death. Tam was pleasantly shocked to find Jne and Soyak standing in front of her, both of their swords bloodied and wicked smiles painted on their face. “We saw you rushing past,” Jne said, barely breathing hard, “and thought we might join in the fun.”
Tam smiled. “I’m so happy you did,” she said, and then quickly retrieved her other sword.
“What happened to this one?” Soyak asked staring down at the blue colored troll.
Tam looked at the troll with satisfaction with what she’d been able to do and what she’d discovered about the power of her Tane. “Let’s just say, I left him breathless,” she jeered.
Jne and Soyak glanced at each other in confusion and then turned baffled looks on Tam as if she’d suddenly spoken gibberish.
Tam sighed at her failed attempt at humor with the Tjal women, and instead of explaining, motioned back to the stairway. “I’ve got to find a balcony so I can get a clear shot at one of the dragons.”
* * *
Dor and Thane had just reached the next level, with the healers in tow, when they happened upon Jack and Erl greatly outnumbered by a group of at least ten goblins growling and cursing as they tried to overcome the two fighters. Luckily, the corridor was too narrow to let more than a couple of combatants come at them at once but they were losing ground too quickly and soon would be forced onto the open landing at the stairway and then the attacks would come from both sides as well.
“Pull back,” Bren called out before anyone else could speak.
Jack chanced a quick look behind him to see who it was while stepping back slightly allowing a third goblin to sneak past ready to cut him down on the left. But Bren was already beside him, pulling the water from the goblin’s body and dropping him like a dried husk on the castle floor. His companions roared in anger but hesitated, understanding that some type of magic was at work that was far beyond their ability to counter. Then, as if by some unseen signal, they all suddenly turned about a raced in the opposite direction. The healers, without any encouragement, rushed after them, quickly disappearing around a corner, oblivious to Thane’s calls after them.
Jack watched the brown robes rustling down the hall with a half amused grin before turning a cocked eye on the dead goblin at his feet. “How is it possible?” he asked turning his attention to Thane and Dor.
“We’ll explain later,” Thane said in a rush. “Right now we need to find a place where we can shoot down the dragons so they won’t be able to drop more goblins on the roof.”
“That sounds like a sound idea,” Jack countered, “but the real problem is the enemy piling through the ac
cess on the bottom floors. I don’t know how they discovered it, but they’ve got the secret exit I mentioned wide open and easily defended so that their soldiers can flow into the castle almost unchecked. We’re quickly becoming trapped in the very fortress that was to offer us sanctuary.”
Thane chewed at his bottom lip, thinking of what the best course might be. “I might be able to do something to stem the tide into the keep, but we still need to take down the dragons as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll take Jack and Erl with me,” Dor offered, “and take out one of them. You go and do what you can about the rest of the army and then we’ll meet up with you again on this level.”
“Is there an access to the east side of the castle close by?” Thane asked Jack. “A balcony where I can see the enemy camp?”
“Down the hall our crazy brown robed friends just raced through. It’s similar to the place we met in last night.”
“Good,” Thane answered already moving in that direction. “Take Dor to a higher area where he can have a good view of the sky and have a decent shot at one of those dragons. If I can do what I think I can, there should be a sudden shift in the fighting below.”
Jack just nodded while grabbing Dor’s arm and leading him in the opposite direction. Erl nuzzled Thane’s hand briefly and then turned and plodded after them. Thane raced down the corridor leaping over a shriveled goblin’s body that had obviously been too slow to outrun the healers now let loose through the castle. He didn’t have much time to contemplate their success in drawing out water before Jack’s directions suddenly brought him to a large platform that jutted out in a great circle from the small doorway giving him a spectacular view of the fields below. The sky overhead was still dark with the unnatural clouds Zadok had conjured up but their secret had long since been discovered.
Looking over the parapet he could see the enemy gathered in a large mass pressing toward the northeaster side of the mountain that must have been the location of the breach. Rushing to the balcony’s northern side, he was cut off from seeing exactly where they were entering due to multiple towers and bulwarks blocking his view but he still felt confident that he could at least disrupt their easy access into the castle. Calming his thoughts, he reached out for the TehChao Tane and then threw his senses off the castle wall and plunged them into the packed dirt and rocks on the valley floor. It was like diving into a pool as the earth separated and then surrounded him, calling to him, promising tales of eons past as he called forth the ancient ground to rise and take form.
Almost instantly answering his call, the ground suddenly began to shake as the soil gathered itself into one spot and then burst upwards, growing at an incredible rate as a large creature escaped the valley floor growing arms and legs as it did so. Thane didn’t wait to witness the complete formation of the TehChao warrior before dipping his senses into another area farther north and calling forth one more. Quickly the two formed and then moved slowly forward, gliding along the ground, their feet never becoming detached from the earth beneath.
The goblins, orcs, and trolls scurried away as best they could as the two focused their attention toward the breach, flinging bodies away with boulder hands sweeping the area clean. Thane watched in satisfaction as Zadok’s army soon dissipated into full retreat, running in all directions as the TehChao warriors continued their cleansing of the area.
A shadow crossed above him, drawing his attention up as a dragon suddenly appeared with a rider on its back. Grabbing for the heart arrow, Thane eased it into his bow and was about to take aim when he realized that his target had moved too far away for him to get a clean shot. He watched with interest as it suddenly dropped from the sky towards one of the earth creatures drawing in breath for an attack.
Thane didn’t wait, but sent out the Tane. A large earthen hand shot up, reaching for the dragon as it leveled off for its attack on the dirt warrior. But something fired from the serpent’s back just as the hand was about to close around it, and it shattered into a shower of soil and rocks. The dragon released its breath on the TehChao warrior and then lifted almost immediately into the sky as another hand reached for it but missed. Thane watch as his creation suddenly stopped, its head blown off by the dragon’s decaying breath. For a brief moment it appeared as if it was dead where it stood, but once again its boulder hands swung down, smashing the nearest troll into the ground.
He watched as the dragon banked and prepared for another attack, its passenger, who could only be Zadok, urging it forward. He knew he could raise more of the earthen beings to fight but he was unsure as to how much strength it would require and if he’d have enough to face the real enemy, Zadok, and defeat him. He had to make Zadok to come after him.
Raising his eyes to the skies above, he called to the ArVen Tane. Very quickly he was gathering his own clouds together swirling them through Zadok’s abominations, devouring them in their path as the skies grew darker. Calling more and more masses of hot and cold air together, the thick clouds increased in size and power, crackling flashes of light shooting through them as they collected strength in preparation to release their fury on the enemy below. The air itself seemed charged with power as Thane gathered more power with his Tane.
And then, like a hailstorm of death, the electrical charges were released as lighting struck throughout the valley floor striking vehemently at the enemy. The crashing sound of thunder boomed through the army like a cacophony of war drums beating out their call for destruction. Again and again, the sky flashed until the strikes were coming so quickly as to leave the area lit up as if the sun were shining through at midday.
Scanning the sky, he quickly located Zadok and his dragon who had broken off their attack on the earth elemental and were now making their way across the valley. He watched with anticipation as a bolt of lighting struck them once and then was followed almost immediately by another that hit them again. But instead of knocking them from the sky, the lightning seemed to split and shoot around them striking the helpless fighters below. It was then that he saw the faint blue glow that covered Zadok and his dragon. Zadok’s magic protected them.
“But come,” Thane whispered, as he watched them get hit again without harm as they drew closer to where he waited. “Your magic will not save you from me.”
* * *
A loud scream brought Teek out of a deep sleep almost throwing him from his bed as he desperately grabbed for the dagger tied to his leg. Scanning the unfamiliar surroundings it took him a brief moment to remember where he was as his heart pound angrily in his ears. Straining to hear what had awakened him he was beginning to think it had just been a bad dream when another cry rang out down the hall. Quickly gathering his backpack and blow gun, he cracked open the door to the small room he’d found the previous night after they’d returned from killing the dragon. At first he’d wanted to stay with Tchee on the balcony, having grown accustomed to sleeping under her protective wing, but Tam had convinced him that his own bed was what he needed and by that time he was too tired to argue with her. He did insist on staying close but the best they’d been able to find was a tiny room on the floor just below the great balcony.
There was a small slit for a window that let just enough light filter in for him to see by but from the looks of it, the sun had yet to break over the horizon for a new day. Peaking through the crack he could only see down one direction of the hallway and nothing presented itself to clue him in as to what was happening in the castle. He waited for a long minute straining to hear any more commotion but the castle seemed to have settled down into an eerie silence. Pushing the door further open, he snuck out into the corridor, crouching against the wall as he took quick stock of the hallway in the other direction. His breath caught in his throat as a figure shrouded in shadows wiped what could only be a dagger on the nightshirt of an old man in a crumpled pile on the ground. In the poor light, he could see a pool of dark liquid spreading out into the carpet that could only be blood. A cackling wheeze escaped the assailant and Teek fo
und his blood turning cold. Slipping his pack off his back, he then set down his blow gun and reached for his dagger.
The attacker turned suddenly at the scraping of Teek’s blade leaving its sheath and they locked eyes on each other. The ice that had filled Teek’s limbs suddenly melted in a rush of fiery indignation as the one armed man faced him, stepping out of the shadows and into the pale light. “You!” Teek spat.
Brak smiled a wicked gap toothed grin and then brought his dagger up to his lips and licked it. “Oh boy, I been waitin’ long time for this. And ye’s all alone without yer stocky friends. We gonna dance long and slow you an’ me.”
Teek’s eyes narrowed in rage and hatred for the man who had hounded him, who had tried to kill him. His grip tightened on his dagger as the berserker frenzy that had overcome him when he’d killed the black roc suddenly grew inside his gut and then quickly spread out to his limbs in anticipation.
“One of us dies now,” he hissed.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Teek threw himself down the hallway toward the one armed assailant who had hounded him for these many months and who had threatened him with death, or worse, at every opportunity. Teek had only wanted to be left alone and it was Brak’s own fault that Tchee had killed his friend and torn off his arm, but it didn’t seem to matter. He was either just too dumb to see and accept the consequences of his actions or too evil to care. Either way, Teek knew that he would never be rid of the man until one of them was dead and he was not content to accept it be him.
With a feral scream, Teek jumped into the air, leading with his dagger as he collided with the man taking them both to the ground. Brak had been caught off guard by Teek’s sudden attack and had barely gotten his blade up in time to keep Teek from running him through the chest. Using the young Waseeni’s momentum, Brak was able to flip the boy over the top as they landed on the carpet and then both rolled up on their feet taking on a defensive posture. Brak’s face broke into a silly grin confirming in Teek’s mind that he did not have complete control over his mental faculties. “Eee hee hee, little one,” he cackled. “Yous likes to plays now does you? Hee hee hee. I’sa likes to plays too. Come plays with mes so I’s can cut ya.”
