by Doug Backus
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Duffy could see the light beaming into the tunnel from above. He was almost there. His arms were so tired from the climb it felt like they could fall off at any moment. He had not taken a break for nearly two hours. Nothing could stop him now. Several minutes later his hand reached out of the tunnel, followed by the other. He had made it. Using his last bit of strength, he hoisted his body up and over the crest of the opening.
Only his legs remained in the passageway when the ground shook beneath him, causing him to lose his grip, and slide helplessly back into the hole that had defeated him ten years ago. Not this time, Duffy thought, as he grasped at vine after vine. He finally managed to grab onto one and slow his descent. Duffy tightened his grip. The leaves slapped his face as they were torn from the vine. Finally, he came to a stop. His hands were bleeding from where the vine had sliced into them, but that would not deter him. He began to climb back up the vine which now resembled a rope. He had more strength than ever now. Nothing would deny him the chance to avenge his family.
Moments later he stood on the mountain looking at what was transpiring in the sky, but more importantly, what was lying on the ground just feet from him. It must have been what had caused the ground to shake. It was Preta, lying motionless on the grass and bleeding profusely from her wing. Duffy ran toward her hoping he was not too late to help.
When he got to her side she was conscious but in a daze. “Preta, get up! You must move,” Duffy screamed as he shook her.
Preta managed to get to her feet but was too shaky to make it any distance. Duffy could only think of one way to get her to safety. He would have to get her to the passage which they had just struggled to get out of. It would not be easy for her to maneuver down the hole, but he had survived the fall ten years ago so she stood a fighting chance. It was her only hope.
He walked alongside Preta and guided her toward the hole. They were halfway there when he realized they would not make it. Phanthus had seen the movement and was advancing on them. Palto and Solko were doing everything they could to change the dragon’s course but it was not working.
If he only had his Cortuc he would be able to do something. He struggled to remember that fateful night ten years ago. What had he done with it when he woke up and ran to find his family? He had not had it when he fell into the hole. Leaving Preta he ran toward the area where the Cawlaway had attacked him and his family. He soon saw the bones Palto had described. They lay scattered around the ground. He struggled to control the pain that he felt coursing through his body as his eyes scoured the ground for the Cortuc.
The Cortuc was the Brawltug’s most cherished possession. There were so few remaining, that only one was entrusted to each Brawltug family. The Cortuc was given to the eldest male in each clan. It was a formidable weapon used for both attack and defence. It resembled a staff of sorts, measuring about one inch in diameter and six feet in length, and was said to have been forged from stone obtained from the very core of Rhol. A square piece of metal that resembled pewter adorned one end of the staff, and a round metal piece the other. The round end was used to attack, the square to defend.
The Cortuc used the energy of Rhol as its main source of power. The energy came from the ground itself. When the square end was placed on the ground, the round end would shoot currents of electricity, much like a miniature lightning bolt, in the direction in which it was pointed. When the round end was placed on the ground, the square end would produce an electrical shield that was nearly impossible to penetrate. The Cortuc was useless in the hands of anyone other than the Brawltug who possessed it.
If it was taken or stolen from a Brawltug, it would become nothing more than a fancy walking stick. This was one of the reasons the Cortuc had become so rare an item. Greed had often led to the Cortuc being obtained in devious ways which would quite literally destroy its powers. The second reason for its rarity was that only the Brawltug that possessed the Cortuc could pass it on. The passing of the Cortuc involved a simple ritual, but if it was not followed exactly, the Cortuc would not retain its powers. In the ritual passing, both Brawltug would hold the Cortuc while its owner gave one simple chant “haf broinko pe broinko” which simply meant “from brother to brother.” Many Brawltug died in the wars of Rhol before they could perform the ritual. As a result, many more Cortuc’s became obsolete.
No one really knows how the Brawltug obtained the stone from the core of Rhol, nor how they came to develop it into such a useful weapon. If they did, they were not saying. Either way Duffy was one of the few Brawltug that still possessed a Cortuc or at least he had a decade ago.
Duffy stopped suddenly in his tracks. He became overwhelmed with a feeling of guilt and regret. Tears rolled down his weathered cheeks leaving a noticeable line as they rinsed away the grime that covered his face, before disappearing into his tangled beard. He was staring at a large rock. It was the rock he had used to keep watch over his family that fateful night. Over the past ten years he had convinced himself that the story he had told Palto was the truth, but it wasn’t. Not completely. The rock reminded him of the one little piece of the story that his mind had slightly changed in order to protect him from the guilt and torment of the actual event. But the rock, the rock brought the true memory flooding back to him.
He had not switched watches with his brother that night. He had fallen asleep on top of that very rock and his family had been killed because of him, because he fell asleep when he should have been keeping a close vigil.
He was awakened by the screams of his family as the Cawlaway attacked them. The memory haunted him as he recalled the horrific event.
He had run toward them in a panic. He was the eldest in the family and he alone possessed the Cortuc that could have saved them from the vicious attack, but in his haste he had forgotten it atop the rock. He had stood there helplessly watching his family being ripped to shreds.
Grabbing his hatchet, he ran toward them. In a desperate bid to save them, he lunged at the Cawlaway, but he missed his mark and stumbled to the ground. The Cawlaway turned on him digging one of its claws into the side of his face. The weight of the Cawlaway on top of him must have caused the ground underneath him to crumble. The Cawlaway flew up and away as Duffy fell through the hole. Perhaps it was fate. Had everything not transpired exactly the way it had, he would have died along with his family. Right now, at this moment he wished he had.
“Duffy. Are you there?”
He looked back to see Preta wobbling around aimlessly, still dazed from the fall she took. Phanthus was almost upon her. Duffy ran to the rock. He had not saved his family, but he could save Preta. He climbed to the top of the boulder as if it was a mere pebble in his way, and found what he had been searching for. Lying on top of the rock, exactly where he had left it ten years ago, was the Cortuc. Grabbing it, he leapt down and ran toward Preta.
Ω
Solko realized now that his sister was going to die. He told her one last time that he loved her, while watching the flames exiting the dragon’s mouth. He hoped she was close enough that she would receive his message, and his apology for not protecting her as he should have.
Seconds later he could no longer see her for the inferno that surrounded her. He watched the grass turn from green to black as the blaze lit the ground on fire for hundreds of yards around where he had last seen her.
He could see Palto come through the smoke toward him. It was so thick by now that he could barely breathe.
“I am sorry, Solko,” was all Palto could muster.
Solko could not respond. He still did not want to come to terms with it.
“It is just us now, Solko. Let us do what we can to avenge your sister and all of the souls that have been lost due to Phanthus.”
“And what of Jayden?” Solko responded with hate in his eyes.
“I cannot believe that Jayden is acting on his own accord, but we are left with only each other to fight Phanthus now. We do not have the luxury of trying to protect
him, and I am sure he would rather be dead than assisting Solharn,” Palto said.
Solko nodded and both flew through the smoke to find Phanthus. They knew their chances of victory where slim.
When there was no more grass left to burn, the fire slowly died and the smoke began to clear enough for them to see the destruction the blast had caused below. Everything was burned aside from one patch of green grass. Solko wept as he looked down upon it.
Ω
Duffy could see the inferno of fire shooting from the dragon’s mouth as he approached Preta’s side. With the square end pointed straight toward the sky he drove the round end into the dirt. The shield spanned around them blocking the flames. From inside it looked as if they were trapped in the center of a large sphere of fire. The flames roared out and over the walls of energy surrounding them.
When the flames died, Duffy flipped the staff in the opposite direction sending orbs of electric currents into the sky toward Phanthus, as he flew over and away from them. Several hit the dragon but did little to slow him down. As Phanthus glided across the ground toward the cliffs, Duffy took one more shot in desperation. The wave of electricity missed the dragon, but struck its passenger. Duffy could see the person fall and strike the ground several hundred yards from him.
Phanthus did not seem to notice. He disappeared into the clouds flying at a high rate of speed. Duffy wondered if he had wounded the beast. He seemed to be retreating.
Ω
“Palto, do you…..”
“I see Solko, I see. It seems we are indebted to Duffy. Let’s get them out of harm’s way,” Palto responded happily.
“And look Palto, behind us, our armies have arrived.”
Palto turned to see Issa and Kaelyn leading the charge with Oisin flying close beside her. Hundreds of Lealian warriors followed them on the backs of the Pegapires. That would explain why Phanthus had retreated.
“The fight is ours Solko. Go to your sister!”
Palto looked toward the approaching armies. It was indeed an impressive sight. He was flying toward Oisin and Kaelyn when he saw Oisin break off and fly quickly toward the ground. He looked down to see a lone figure waving frantically at him. It was Jayden. Palto raced toward him. It seemed Jayden was luring Oisin in, just as he had Preta. Oisin too, was obviously unaware of Jayden’s sudden change in sides.
Ω
Oisin could not believe his eyes when he saw him. “Orulla, it is Jayden!” He had somehow made it out alive. Perhaps Palto had saved him. It did not matter. His friend was waving for help and he would get those answers soon enough.
Orulla dropped down from the ranks and flew toward him. “It is a miracle Oisin. How could he have survived?”
“We will find out soon enough!” Oisin responded.
Orulla was coming in for a landing when she suddenly stopped several yards from Jayden.
“Orulla, what are you doing? He is over there. He could be hurt.”
Oisin did not wait for an answer. He jumped off Orulla and began to run toward Jayden.
“Oisin do not go any closer. Palto communicated with me. He believes Jayden no longer fights for Rhol.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Oisin said ignoring Orulla.
“Oisin!” Orulla shouted.
Oisin turned to face her. “You can stand back there if you wish. I will not leave Jayden. He needs our help!”
Oisin did not see Jayden coming up behind him with his sword drawn ready to strike.
“Oisin, behind you!” Orulla yelled.
When Oisin turned he could see the glare of steel coming down upon him. He reacted immediately by rolling away to the left. The blade struck the ground beside him. He looked up to see Jayden. His eyes were black as coal. Oisin had not even brought a weapon. He was helpless as Jayden lifted his sword above his head and turned the blade in a downward direction.
Oisin knew the person that was about to end his life was no longer his friend. His eyes had the same hollow emptiness that the Nightstalkers had when they too turned on their own. Oisin knew he was not looking into the eyes of Jayden but those of Solharn.
“I have no regrets and no ill will my friend,” Oisin said as the blade moved downward toward him.
Oisin was sure he saw Jayden pause if only for a second, before the blade once again resumed its path toward his chest. It was not Oisin’s time though. Orulla had moved up behind Jayden and grabbed him within her jaws, flinging him to the side. Even that would not stop him. He got up from the ground and ran toward Orulla in a fury.
“Jayden, no!” Oisin yelled.
Jayden would not advance any further. Palto appeared between them, and Jayden froze as he gazed into his eyes. He was no longer what he once was. The mighty warrior was now just a feeble reflection in Solharn’s evil game. It was a dark day, one of many more to come.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Deke shivered as he awoke. He had needed the rest, but the cold dampness of the ground had not provided him with the most memorable sleep he could remember. He stretched as he crawled to his feet and looked down at Mary. She was still fast asleep. Deo rumbled and slowly rose rubbing his eyes, trying to focus in on Deke.
“We have to save her Deo. I cannot bear to think of her turning into something like Torrell.”
“I know, but it is not like there is a cure. Half her soul is missing Deke, and I don’t think there is any way to stop it. If we cannot find her paladin, then that will be her fate.”
Deke glanced over toward Torrell. His face had a blank expression as he stared in the direction of where she had slept. Observing his face, Deo turned to see what had caused him to go silent. Torrell was gone. Only the vines that had once held her captive remained on the ground along with a small chain and locket that hung from a branch underneath where she once was.
Deke walked over and grasped the chain from the branch. “It is Mary’s, Deo. I gave it to her one year after we met as a symbol of our friendship.”
“How did Torrell get it?” Deo asked.
“I don’t know,” Deke said running toward Mary. “Mary, wake up Mary!” Deke shouted as he shook her.
“Is she alright, Deke?”
“She is not waking up. I will never forgive myself if Torrell has done something to her.”
“What is all the fuss?” Mary asked suddenly sitting up from her deep sleep.
Deke felt an instant relief at the sound of her voice. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. What’s wrong?” she responded still drowsy from her deep sleep.
Deke held up the locket. “What is it?” Mary asked.
“What is it? It is the friendship locket I gave you the year we became friends.”
“Oh, yes. I am sorry. I am still half asleep. Why do you have it?”
“Torrell left it behind,” Deo said.
“Left it behind? What do you mean, left it behind?” Mary asked.
“She is gone, Mary. She escaped her bonds. We have no idea where she is. When I saw your locket I thought she may have harmed you in some way,” Deke responded.
“Strange, she must have taken it from me while I slept. What do you think it means?” Mary asked.
“A sign of some sort, I don’t think she liked you very much. It could mean she plans to bring you harm. We will have to be extra cautious from here on out,” Deke said.
“If that was her plan then why wouldn’t she have done that while we slept?” Deo suspiciously asked.
“She was probably afraid that I would awaken and scream to alert you two and did not want to take that chance. Who knows, she is crazy,” Mary answered.
Deo was troubled by this turn of events. There were lots of ways to kill someone silently in their sleep, but she hadn’t, she had just left. Why?
Deke handed Mary back her necklace. “Well, whatever the reason, we will have to be careful. She knows the way we are heading and knows the swamps better than us.”
“We should start moving. How long will it take to get out of this swam
p, Mary?” Deo asked looking around expecting Torrell to jump out any moment.
“I would say less than a day if we hurry,” Mary answered.
They did not have much to pack and in a matter of minutes they had started on their journey. Although the night had been fairly cool, as the day wore on, it became sweltering hot. The stench of the swamp did not help, nor did the insects that nibbled away at their faces and arms. They walked without a break for several miles until finally stopping to douse themselves with cool water from the creek.
“This will be our last chance for water. We must veer off from the creek. We are almost out of this swamp,” Mary said. “The water is not fit to drink, just dab some on your lips and wet your clothes. We will have fresh water once we are outside the boundaries of Tiqor. Then we will make our way to the Blackpool. I believe that is where Solharn hides Elissa.”
“I cannot wait to put this swamp behind us,” Deke said.
“I too, am looking forward to leaving this tangled, smelly mess. Perhaps it will diminish the distinct feeling I have that we are being followed,” added Deo.
Mary walked further ahead. “Well, let’s go then.”
It was slow walking as the three made their way through the thick scrub brush. Mary seemed to know where she was going as she pushed the overgrown vegetation aside and continued to follow a very narrow path.
After several hours, the bushes seemed to become less dense. Deke wondered if they were finally out of the swamps.
“What is that smell?” Deo asked gagging as he spoke.
Deke pulled his shirt up over his nose. “I smelled it earlier, but it seems to be getting more and more rancid.”
Mary chuckled to herself. “Come on boys, it isn’t that bad. We will be out of here soon.”
“We have been walking through this swamp forever with no end in sight. Deke, why don’t you change me into something that can fly and I will scout ahead? I might even be able to fly you two out, one at a time,” Deo suggested.
