The archer raised a hand in defense against his friend’s words. “Hold on! I saw as much as you, which was little enough! Whatever it is, it’s as much a part of the jungle as these trees and shrubbery!”
“Is it stalking us?” Serenthia asked, looking around.
Here Achilios looked contemplative. “At first, I would’ve said yes, but now…the more I think of it, the more it seems our friend is…curious.”
“That kind of curiosity, I don’t like,” muttered Uldyssian. “Do you think there’s more than one?”
“I noticed only it. There could be more, but it strikes me as solitary.”
“Like a predator?”
The hunter grimaced.
Their mood more pensive, they quickly mounted and left the area behind. For the rest of the day, the riders kept one eye on the path and the other on the thick vegetation. No one saw so much as a trace, but the consensus was that their mysterious companion had not yet abandoned them.
When at last they heard the rushing of water, Uldyssian greeted the sound with a contradictory mixture of relief and suspicion. He was glad to reach this latest landmark, but at the same time the river was a barrier of sorts. With something now tracking them, Uldyssian began to fear that all they had accomplished was willingly riding into another trap.
Achilios clearly thought likewise, for as soon as he had dismounted, he said in a low voice, “I’m going to find a place to cross quickly, if need be.”
On the louder pretense of hunting, he hurried off. Uldyssian eyed Cyrus’s daughter, who, in turn, pensively watched Achilios vanish into the unsettling wilderness.
“He’ll be fine,” the son of Diomedes said somewhat awkwardly, aware that his friend would not be in this situation if not for him. “Isn’t that right, Mendeln?”
“Yes, he should be.” But Mendeln’s tone was distracted, which did not help the situation any. He seemed interested in something at the edge of the river, but what it was, Uldyssian could not say. Certainly not some huge creature such as he and the archer had noted. The only thing one generally found in rivers was fish.
As they filled their water sacks, Achilios made a swift return. Serenthia had to visibly hold back from running to him. The blond hunter smiled with more assurance as he reached the party.
“There’s a bridge,” he announced merrily. “Just a few minutes downstream. Looks worn and there are some planks missing, but the horses should cross over just fine.”
Uldyssian took heart. Without hesitation, he said, “We make camp on the other side, then.”
He received no objections. The four quickly remounted, this time Achilios taking the lead. They followed along the water’s edge as the hunter dictated and very soon sighted the bridge in question.
It had been made from elements of the jungle around it. The planks had clearly been harvested from the local trees, the undersides still covered in bark. The craftsmen had skillfully shaved the other side flat. Three of the planks were broken or completely gone, but if the party guided their horses on foot, there would be little threat.
Strong vines and other long plants had been used to tether the wood together. Some sort of brown substance had also been added in between to keep everything solid. Considering their surroundings, Uldyssian thought that the builders had done the best possible. True, the bridge swayed a little under their moving weight, but otherwise held.
Once they were over, there was debate as to what to do next. Achilios wanted to remain near the bridge, and Serenthia seconded this. Uldyssian preferred a little more distance from it.
Mendeln…Mendeln left the decision to the others. As usual, he seemed lost in thought.
The archer finally pointed out that while Uldyssian was rightly concerned about their unseen companion, it was possible that something of a more immediate threat lurked nearby on this side. Conceding this, Uldyssian agreed to their remaining near the bridge.
They kept their campsite as compact as possible, huddling close to the animals and one another. Only Achilios left the vicinity, necessity forcing him to hunt. When he returned, the relieved greeting he received was more for his safety than the bountiful catch he carried.
The two creatures that the archer had brought with him were recognizable as reptiles, but none such as any had ever seen. They were huge—nearly five feet from the tips of their muzzles to the ends of their tails. One look at the terrifying teeth was enough to let the others know that these were generally predators, not prey.
Achilios quickly reassured them. “I was never careless. I assumed that there might be dangers by the river, but also game. I found this pair hiding among some reeds. I don’t think that they were prepared for something like me.”
Uldyssian studied them dubiously. “Are you sure that they’re worth eating?”
“Some of the best meat I caught back home came from snakes and lizards! These, I suspect, will be like a feast in comparison!”
The two dead beasts had done what little else had…drawn Mendeln’s attention. He touched one almost gently. “These are young. Juvenile.”
“I thought as much myself,” Achilios replied. “The big ones are probably three times the size.” To Uldyssian, he added, “These were wet, as if they’d just been swimming. You wanted us to move farther away from the bridge and the river. I’d say that was an idea we should still act on.”
They wasted no time in following the suggestion. Achilios, scouting ahead, located a place he believed far enough from the river reptiles’ normal haunts. Even then, Uldyssian insisted that they ride a little longer, despite the darkness.
Achilios showed him another spot. Finally satisfied, they halted again. While Mendeln and Uldyssian gathered fuel for the fire, the hunter and Serenthia began the process of skinning and cooking the meat.
“Don’t stray far from the camp,” Uldyssian reminded his brother as they left, Mendeln’s condition worrying him.
“I will take care. Do the same.”
While there were plenty of trees, finding viable firewood was not so simple. The plant life had a constant moistness to it. Uldyssian picked what he could, cautious in his task lest some vermin or animal hiding in the bush took umbrage at his presence. Unfortunately, due to conditions, Uldyssian soon found himself disobeying his own orders to stay close; there just was not enough good fuel nearby.
In order to make up for the necessity of searching farther away, Uldyssian kept a careful eye on his position relative to the camp. This encouraged him to go yet farther afield, and gradually the pile in his arm grew to something useful.
Behind him, he heard the rustling of branches. Aware of how far out he had strayed, Uldyssian suspected that one of his friends had come in search of him. He turned around—
And dropped the firewood.
The behemoth stood half again as tall as him and more than twice as wide. At first, Uldyssian thought it a demon, for it had a vague resemblance to a man, in that there were two arms, a pair of legs, and a head, but beyond that was a creature so bizarre that surely it had not been born of his world.
Yet, if a demon, it was a very docile one. In fact, although its face was much in the shadow of the night, Uldyssian could for some reason sense that there was an intelligence there, one that was driven by more than the thirst for mayhem and blood.
The giant shifted slightly, but not in any manner that caused Uldyssian alarm. In that flash of movement, more details became apparent. The entire torso had a rough finish to it that reminded him of nothing less than wood. Indeed, one limb ended not in a hand or paw, but a great, thorny club upon whose flat head was etched runes of some sort. The other arm had a hand, but there was also a broad, sharply bent formation that started near the elbow and looked to the human like a living shield.
Two bat-wing horns rose above the head, which was squat and heavily browed. Uldyssian could detect no mouth or nose and the eyes were but deep crevasses.
The behemoth strode toward him at an oddly leisurely pace, and as it moved, there
was not the least sound. Uldyssian understood that the rustling he had heard earlier had been purposely meant. The creature had wanted him to be forewarned.
“Are you…are you the one who followed us?” Uldyssian finally asked.
The figure did not answer. Instead, with astonishingly graceful movements, it went down on one knee before the human.
At that moment, Achilios’s voice came from the direction of the camp. “Uldyssian! Where are you? Uldyssian—”
His gaze strayed toward the voice. A moment later, the archer appeared.
“Am I going to have to keep searching for you every time you stray away from a camp?” Achilios asked cheerfully.
Uldyssian’s eyes widened at such a mundane question in the presence of so astonishing a being as the jungle dweller. He looked to the creature for its reaction…and saw then why Achilios acted the way he did. The behemoth was gone, as if he had never been there.
The hunter noticed his tension and all humor vanished. “What is it?”
“It…he—” Yes, for some reason, Uldyssian knew his visitor had been male. “—was here.”
“What…the thing tracking us?” Achilios started to ready his bow, but Uldyssian quickly put a stop to the action.
“He means no harm. He…he knelt there.”
“Before you?”
Uldyssian wanted to deny that, but finally nodded. “He knelt before me.” The farmer went into quick detail, giving even a cursory description of the creature. “And then, when I looked in your direction, he simply vanished.”
“Which means that it was you specifically that he wanted to see, old friend. You.”
“He may have never seen a human like us, that’s all. It could’ve been Mendeln or you. Since Malic used her, Serenthia usually stays near the camp.”
His companion did not see it that way. “There were plenty of chances to view me, especially that first time. Mendeln, too. He wanted to see you, Uldyssian. You must face that.”
“There’s no reason.”
Achilios turned back toward the camp, but although he moved casually, the bow remained in his grip. “Only in your eyes, Uldyssian, only in your eyes…”
Despite their unusual night visitor having shown no hostility, Uldyssian did not rest well. He expected other strange beings to follow in the wake of the first, some of them surely with more sinister intent. Yet, the day came without incident. The party ate what was left of the meat, then set out again.
“How far is Toraja’s region now?” he asked his brother as they rode.
“Several days yet,” Mendeln replied. Further information, he did not supply and Uldyssian settled back into the saddle. He was already sick of the jungle and continually sick of himself.
Small creatures flittered through the branches, some of them recognizable, others almost as unsettling as the behemoth. However, Uldyssian sensed that these were simple animals, not some mysterious, intelligent being, such as had confronted him.
What did the confrontation mean? He refused to believe that Achilios was right. There was nothing to Uldyssian. He was a fraud, a mockery.
With such thoughts, he rode through the day and on into the night. They traveled late, it taking Achilios some time to find a clearing large enough for them to use as a place to sleep.
Uldyssian had no desire to leave the safety of the campsite, but, as ever, the hunt for firewood demanded it of him and the others. He tried to keep close, this time, but the pickings were slight and necessity once more demanded he widen his search.
With growing wariness, Uldyssian gathered one piece after another. Each moment, he expected the giant to confront him, but the closest he had come to an encounter so far was an irate toad the size of his head that leapt out from under a dead branch Uldyssian had just grabbed.
Uldyssian returned with his arms full and his mood as black as the night. He ate sparingly from Achilios’s newest catch—some sort of huge rabbit—then slept fitfully until a hand shook him awake.
Believing it to be the behemoth, Uldyssian jerked back. However, it was only the hunter, awaking him for his turn on guard duty.
“Easy there!” Achilios muttered. “Are you sure you want to take watch?”
“I’d rather be up.”
“As you like.”
Uldyssian grabbed his sword and walked to the edge of the camp. As was the practice, he kept watch first from one vantage point, then, after a few minutes, quietly went to another. In this way, he also kept more alert.
Eventually, however, time did take its toll. When he was certain that he dared not stay on watch any longer, Uldyssian sheathed his sword and went to wake Mendeln, who was next. After Mendeln would come Serenthia and then Achilios again, if necessary. The three men would have preferred to rotate the night between them, but Serenthia had insisted, pointing out that she was just as capable with a sword as they were…a piece of training done at the insistence of her late father.
Uldyssian approached his brother’s location…only to find Mendeln not there. That was not uncommon, necessity making its demands whenever it chose. He paused, aware that it could not be too long.
But after several minutes, there was still no sign of Mendeln.
Uldyssian tried to tell himself that it would only be a moment longer, but then that moment passed and still there was no hint of his brother’s return. Uldyssian glanced at the ground and made out a single footprint. Not yet wishing to disturb the others, he drew his weapon and started in the direction that the print was pointing.
The way was troublesome. He was forced to hack at the branches. Twice Uldyssian whispered Mendeln’s name, both times to no success.
His heart pounding faster, Uldyssian doubled his pace. Mendeln had to have come this way.
A slight sound from the side made him pause. When it came again, he turned toward it. It might be his brother, but it also might be something more sinister.
Or…it could be the creature again.
Despite the risk, Uldyssian pushed on. Mendeln was out here; that was what mattered most. If it was the creature, then perhaps it could even help him. The thought seemed ludicrous, yet, Uldyssian knew that if he ran into the jungle dweller, he would ask it for aid.
From a slightly different direction came more movement. Uldyssian froze. A breath later, from yet a third direction there was a noise.
Whatever lurked out here, there was more than one.
Images of morlu swept through his head. Uldyssian considered retreating to the camp, but it was already too late. He heard more activity in the jungle, all of it converging on his location.
A murky form moved among the trees, then another, and another. Ducking low, Uldyssian closed on the nearest. Despite his failures, he had no intention of merely standing still as the fiends slaughtered him and his companions. Even if he could kill but one, it would be some small victory…and all Uldyssian could ask for.
The black form assisted him by veering his way. As the figure neared, Uldyssian noted that the head was unencumbered by the monstrous ram’s skull helmet of the Temple’s infernal minions.
Peace Warders, then. Or perhaps even Inquisitors. The Cathedral of Light had been oddly silent all this time, even though Uldyssian was certain that they were still interested in him.
His adversary was now so near that he could hear the rapid breathing. In fact, had Uldyssian not known better, he would have sworn that the warrior sounded uneasy, even a little frightened.
Taking some grim pleasure in that, Uldyssian maneuvered around the figure. A little more and they would both be in position.
The dark form abruptly changed direction again, this time striding directly toward where Uldyssian hid.
Unwilling to wait any longer, the son of Diomedes leapt at him.
What should have been a quick, mortal thrust failed utterly, his foe avoiding it by accidentally stumbling to the side. The two men became entangled. Their weapons fell at the same time. Uldyssian cursed, knowing that such a loss meant far more to him t
han it did the other. He was surrounded by enemy, his one chance to in some small way redeem himself now all but gone.
His fighting became more frantic. By sheer force alone, he managed to end up on top. His hands grappled for the guard’s throat.
But before Uldyssian could make good his hope, other hands pulled him off of his intended victim. His arms were wrapped behind his back. The area filled with armed figures.
Someone brought a torch. It was thrust in his face, no doubt so that he could be identified for the sake of some high cleric of one of the sects.
“’Tis him!” a harsh voice declared.
Uldyssian expected to be clapped in irons…but instead his arms were released. The figures surrounding him stepped back.
And, one by one, they went down on their knees, leaving only the torchbearer. The man held the flames close to his own face as he stared at Uldyssian.
“Praise be! We’ve found you, Holy One!” blurted Romus.
TWENTY-ONE
Mendeln had awakened with the feeling that someone had just called his name. At first, he thought it his brother and that made him stand up and look around. But when Mendeln saw no sign of Uldyssian, his suspicions grew.
Then, the voice called to him again.
This way… it beckoned. This way…
Somehow, he knew exactly which direction to go. Not for a moment did Mendeln hesitate. He had finally gone beyond fear of his situation. Fascination commanded him now.
Making certain that no one observed him, he slipped into the jungle. Curiously, Mendeln felt more at home here than he ever had back in Seram. It was as if this was a cherished place that Uldyssian’s brother had forgotten until now.
Treading with a nimbleness generally absent, Mendeln dove deeper into the jungle. The voice kept urging him on, telling him where to turn. He followed its guidance with the utmost trust.
The insects kept their distance from him, just as they had since shortly after he and his companions had entered the lush land. They had quickly sensed the change in him, the otherness, that Mendeln was only just beginning to understand.
Diablo® The Sin War Page 28
