Dare to Believe: Teen & Young Adult Epic Fantasy Bundle (Series Bundle Andy Smithson Bk 4, 5 & 6): Dragons, Serpents, Unicorns, Pegasus, Pixies, Trolls, Dwarfs, Knights and More!

by L. R. W. Lee

  “Duck!” Fulk yelled a second later as a grasping hand shot through the bush.

  The beefy sergeant fell prostrate on the ground then army-crawled for cover. The ogres rose, crushing the bush as they stepped forward to see where their prey had gone. They looked both ways, surveying the area with open mouths that spilled drool.

  Terric ducked behind a boulder, but in his haste to hide, Ector stepped on a dead branch. The crack drew the pair’s attention. Don’t follow him. Please don’t follow him. Andy grimaced as the ogres lumbered after the sound.

  Sergeant Ector scurried on the balls of his feet, taking a circular path around the four thick tree trunks where Mermin, Razen, Hannah, and Alden each crouched. Andy scanned the woods. These things are stupid but faster than I thought. How can we draw them off? Andy’s prior experience with ogres had been limited to a mama thinking he was her baby and attempting to bathe him. He’d managed to escape before she figured out the ruse. Wait a minute! I need Hannah. Actually, I need her backpack.

  Hannah and the others hadn’t moved and still sheltered ten yards to his right.

  The coast is clear. Frick and Frack (what Andy decided to call the ogres) stood fifteen feet away with their backs to him.

  Andy took advantage of their posterior view and zigzagged between tree trunks until he joined Hannah. “Do you still have your bloodied tunic?” he whispered.

  She nodded.

  “Give it here.”

  Hannah dug in her pack and pulled it out.

  “What are you going to do?” Alden whispered.

  “Ogres may be stupid, but their sense of smell is sharp if I remember correctly. I want to bait them with this.”

  Andy saw movement out of the corner of his eye and jumped, but it turned out to be Fulk joining them.

  Andy explained his plan.

  “I’ll alert the others,” the sergeant offered and moved out.

  Andy tucked the bait inside his tunic so the brutes wouldn’t smell it too soon. After giving the sergeant sufficient time to inform the others, he popped his head out from behind cover. Frick and Frack circled a tree five yards away. Sergeant Gavin mimicked their steps on the opposite side with a panicked look plastered across his pink-dotted face.

  Yikes! First squinks and now this! That poor guy. Time to move!

  Andy scurried from tree to tree, moving upwind and away from the company. Please don’t smell me. He estimated he’d put fifty yards between himself and the ogres before he pulled Hannah’s bloodied tunic from hiding. He brushed it against several tree trunks and waved it around, hoping to launch the scent on the gentle breeze. And then he waited.

  All remained silent for what seemed an eternity, and he began to lose hope. But lumbering bodies trampling branches and snapping twigs reignited his optimism. I hope it’s them and not some others I’ve managed to attract. He stashed the tunic in the crotch of the tree and took off on the balls of his feet, trying to remain as quiet as possible.

  He ducked behind a thick trunk twenty yards away. Frick sniffed Hannah’s tunic until Frack wrenched it from him. Andy heard growls and bellows followed by the sound of ripping fabric.

  He smiled, then turned to go find his companions.

  Sergeant Fulk snagged Andy a few minutes later. They found the rest of the company and after a hushed celebration, they moved out.

  An hour later Captain Ladilas announced, “We’re out of ogre territory.”

  The announcement should have cheered the group, but it didn’t, for the glinting gold slopes of Mount Mur Eyah rose in the haze before them. Andy knew most of the group feared what the wild centaurs might do. Like an overstretched rubber band, tension threatened to snap each member’s barely controlled calm.

  My life may never be the same. Andy released a heavy sigh and Father reached over and pulled him close, draping an arm around his shoulders. Andy looked up and thought he detected moisture in the man’s eyes.

  Apparently sensing the group’s discomfort, Hannah broke the silence. “Mermin, a couple years ago you told a story about Mount Mur Eyah. Would you tell it again?”

  The wizard smiled. “Of course. Long ago, a patwol was scouting this awea when they came upon savage werewolves. The beasts snarled and gave chase. With certain death nipping at their heels, the men looked fwantically for a place to hide. The patwol fled up Mount Mur Eyah’s slopes, and what happened next is wemarkable. They darted into a cave and the werewolves mystewiously lost their scent. The soldiers weported that the werewolves lingered outside the entwance, sniffing and clawing, but the pack never entered the cave. The werewolves finally gave up and left.” Mermin gave Hannah an appreciative smile.

  “The same thing happened to us at the Giant’s Ring,” Alden interjected.

  Hannah nodded. “Abaddon was nearly on top of us when Fides opened a door and we all barreled in. Abaddon and the zolt ran right past.”

  “Fides called it Mount Mur Eyah’s goodness, because the stones of the Giant’s Ring came from Mount Mur Eyah,” Andy added.

  “‘Pwovision shall be made.’ That’s the meaning of Mur Eyah,” Mermin intoned.

  “Well, let’s hope it provides for us as well,” Razen said in a voice less steady than Andy had heard before.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Artistry in Action

  The mountain apparently did not appreciate their trespassing, for within minutes, black clouds erased the sun like a stage curtain coming down. Everyone scanned the sky as thunder rumbled.

  Hannah’s eyes grew round. “Well, that was unexpected.”

  Seconds later, Andy felt the first large raindrop hit his face. Then lightning flashed. A deluge soon followed, propelling the company up the slope and under cover.

  “It’s raining too hard to last long,” Andy hoped aloud from a semi-dry spot between Mermin and Mom.

  He was right. Within a few minutes the torrent let up, but the sound of raindrops hitting foliage didn’t. Then the ground started shaking. Andy and the others looked around with wide eyes.

  “Woohoot!”

  “Huzzah!”

  “Ha!”

  “Neener-neener!”

  “Hey, this way!”

  “No, throw it here!”

  “Hey, don’t trample the— Oh well.”

  The riot careened closer, and seconds later a herd of centaurs pitched into view. Their stench—a sickening combination of wet fur and rotten meat—marauded alongside.

  The creatures lurched and swayed, throwing a medicine ball to each other—or at each other, it was hard to tell. A paint centaur crumpled into a bush right in front of where Captain Ladilas and Father crouched. It quickly recovered and raced after the others, spraying mud in its wake. A brown centaur with an orange and purple dragon emblem painted on his face hoisted the projectile and launched it at the others. Like shrapnel exploding, the force took out two of them, one dapple-gray and the other black. They staggered back up in seconds, slinging bows back over their shoulders and swiping muck from their faces.

  The cyclone passed several minutes later, and everyone emerged from hiding, coughing from the stench, shaking their heads, and rolling their eyes.

  “This is worse than cow farts!” Andy exclaimed.

  “I hope there aren’t more of those.” Hannah wrinkled her nose.

  Mermin tried to wipe mud off his tunic but only managed to smear it. Father left his to dry, although that wouldn’t be anytime soon.

  The rain became a drizzle that ensured no one would be comfortable as they resumed their trek.

  “How much farther?” Alden questioned.

  “The note said, ‘In the heart of the mountain he dwells with his tribe,’” Mom replied. “The cave Merlin took me to is toward the middle. We’re assuming that’s where we need to go, but no guarantees.”

  “And that’s where you think the good centaurs are?” Hannah asked, her eyes pleading.

  “I don’t know for sure. The centaurs hadn’t yet gone wild when Merlin brought me through there. I’m
hoping so.”

  Soon they came upon an expanse of pruned and manicured vines. Row upon row stretched as far as they could see.

  “Here lies the root of their problems.” Razen shook his head.

  Mermin turned storyteller once more. “Long ago, before the wace fell, a centaur wanting to honor a lover sought out a gift, something special, something unique. He searched and searched, and while he discovered many things new to him, nothing was special enough. Then one day he happened upon a vine gwowing wild. He’d never seen or heard others tell of anything like it, with its shiny wed clusters and enticing awoma. He tasted the fwuit—so sweet was its juice that he knew, like he’d never known anything before, that his beloved would desperately love it.”

  “The centaurs tend and harvest these?” Hannah questioned. “But they’re so…orderly.”

  “You take care of what matters most,” Mermin replied.

  “How’d they go from one wild vine to this?” Andy waved his arm toward the vineyard.

  “I guess it’s hard to keep something that good quiet,” the wizard speculated.

  Andy turned philosophical. “But too much of a good thing…”

  “Exactly.” Mermin nodded.

  Large green clusters hung down from the vines, and as they passed, Andy freed a handful of the fruit, popping it in his mouth.

  Ptooey. Ptooey.

  Andy spit it out again, which made Hannah and Alden laugh.

  “Gwapes wipen in the fall,” Mermin informed.

  “I knew that. I just didn’t figure they’d be that sour. Blah.”

  Mom tousled Andy’s hair, grinning.

  Raucous shouts in the distance reached them and grew louder.

  “Not again,” several groaned before taking cover.

  The smell of sour body odor, like a flatulent hippo on a diet of Asian food, preceded this herd’s arrival, and several of the company covered their noses in the crook of their elbows.

  The rowdy group exploded into view. Their leader, a white and brown appaloosa centaur, waved a bottle of booze and belted out an off-color tune at the top of his lungs. Three others crowed at a suggestive joke, slapping each other on the back as they stumbled closer. Another centaur shot three arrows toward the sky then let out a long belch. Two more snorted and copied him, trying to outdo each other’s musical burps. An Arabian centaur tottering behind them hiccupped and thrust up two bottles of his favorite beverage in clenched fists, loudly trying, but failing, to carry the leader’s tune.

  The arrow-shooting maniac launched another round of projectiles. This time, however, their arc brought them to where the company huddled. Hannah rolled out of the way as one thudded into the ground where her leg had been seconds before. The motion drew attention.

  “Whoa up,” the appaloosa slurred. “Well, what do we have here?”

  The company bolted to their feet and the soldiers formed a protective ring, weapons drawn.

  “Hey, hey, hey. I want to talk to that pretty little maiden with hair so fair,” the leader chided.

  Several of the drunken centaurs wobbled from the path and circled. One still attempted to hum the tune.

  “Stuff it, Anicus,” their leader growled.

  “Sorry, Elatus.”

  “There’s no need to draw your weapons. Right guys?” the leader mocked. His followers chortled. “Now, I said I want to talk to that pretty little maiden.”

  The company remained silent and unmoving, except to scoot Hannah to the center of the group.

  “Have some.” The centaur who brought up the rear sloshed a bottle at Sergeant Ector, spilling its contents on the soldier.

  “Now look what you’ve done, Nessus,” a chestnut centaur blamed. “That’s the last of the good stuff.”

  “Enough!” the leader bellowed, taking a sideways step to correct his swaying.

  “Hey, look, there’s another girly. She’s pretty too. Let’s see how lovely you are up close–like.” Coarse laughter broke out as the loudest member of the belching crew pulled a sluggish arm to his chest.

  The arrow-crazed menace nocked an arrow and drew his bow. “You heard Elatus, he wants to talk to the ladies.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but we prefer to stay right where we are,” Mom replied from beside Hannah.

  Without warning, Andy heard something fly through the air. He pivoted just as Hannah and Mom lurched backward, a lasso slamming them together from behind.

  Sergeant Rosser struck the centaur’s wrist with a stone from his sling, but it managed to switch hands. “Ha! Ha!” The centaur yanked, and Mom and Hannah flew backward, plowing down Sergeant Gavin. They thudded to a stop outside the soldiers’ protective circle.

  “Get up!” the leader commanded.

  The drawn bows of the inebriated centaurs were trained on the men.

  “Now, when I say I want to talk to the pretty ladies, that’s what I mean.” The leader knelt and ran a finger across Hannah’s cheek. She jerked away. “She’s got spirit. I like that.”

  The drunken mass of horsemanity chortled and the stench of fermented hiccups wafted across the space.

  Andy’s temper flared. Seeing Alden’s clenched fists, Andy knew he wasn’t the only one barely holding himself in check.

  The centaur moved on to Mom. He studied her for a full minute before running a hand through her tangled locks. Mom stared straight ahead.

  Seeing Father and Mermin shaking with fury, the leader added, “Oh, this is going to be fun, indeed.” Elatus trod through the middle of the men, forcing them to part or be trampled. He looked Razen up and down, and his nose wrinkled as if he’d detected an unpleasant odor beyond his own. “Fraternizing with the enemy I see.”

  Razen remained silent. Other than bulging muscles along jawlines, no one else replied.

  The leader strode toward Father. “As you may or may not know, Abaddon has offered a handsome reward for your capture. He’ll keep us stocked with the good stuff.”

  Cheers of “Woohoot!” “Huzzah!” “Ha!” rose from the ranks.

  “Quiet!” Silence echoed.

  Elatus commanded, “Thereus, go find that mangy pack of birds he calls his followers. I want my booze! Take Anicus with you. I don’t want you getting lost.”

  The leader motioned for his troops to tie everyone up as the pair headed out. A centaur stripped Andy’s backpack off him and threw it in a pile with the rest of the company’s meager belongings. The ingredients!

  A towering stud of a centaur wrestled Andy to the wet ground next to Alden then tied their hands tightly behind their backs. He also tied their feet. Other centaurs did the same to Father, Razen, Mermin, and the soldiers.

  Losing contact with the precious ingredients that had taken so much time and effort to collect left Andy feeling conflicted. If I don’t have the ingredients, the curse can’t be broken…then Mom and Father and Mermin won’t… He tried not to, but kept finding himself staring at the pile. What kind of future sovereign am I, to want—?

  Elatus had hauled Mom and Hannah, still lassoed, to the other side of the clearing. He now stared hungrily at them. “I never thought I’d see the day that the King of Oomaldee sits in submission at my feet.” He laughed.

  “Nor shall you ever again.” The deep voice emanated from behind them.

  Their six captors turned to find themselves at arrow point. A dozen centaurs stepped from between the trees.

  Andy instantly recognized the camo headband one of them wore. Every company member smiled as realization dawned: they were saved! Mom closed her eyes, then grabbed Hannah and they shared an embrace.

  “Drop your weapons.”

  “Jax, you’ll regret this,” Elatus snarled.

  “I hardly think so.” Turning to his comrades he instructed, “Cut them loose.”

  “Ske-daddle outta here ya ruffians!” A drawl pierced the tension.

  Houston! The six thugs beat a hasty retreat.

  “It’s so good to see you!” Andy rushed Jax, giving the big guy a hug. Madiso
n’s flowered scrunchie still held back his flowing locks.

  “Peace, dude.”

  Everyone except Mom just stared.

  “Houston!” Andy spotted the lasso-wielding centaur behind several others, then turned his head. “Are Malcolm and Lorica here too?”

  Houston adjusted his red bandanna as he stepped forward. “Naw. The newly-bondeds are tendin’ the home fires.”

  Andy grinned.

  Houston tipped his cowboy hat to recognize Father. “Sir.”

  “Attention! Unless we want to turn ourselves over to Abaddon’s care, I suggest we move out.” Captain Ladilas didn’t need to say it twice. Everyone grabbed their packs and joined with the centaur ranks, heading uphill.

  The drizzle continued, making sure every last piece of clothing dripped. The odor of wet fur remained but the sour, fermenting stench seemed to dissipate.

  Father pushed wet locks off his face and did the same for Mom as he walked beside her. They joined hands and Andy caught the warm smile she paid him. Andy’s face couldn’t help but turn upward. He couldn’t deny their love any longer. Andy knew Mom loved Dad, but she also loved Father. Perhaps she loves them for different things.

  “Hi, I’m Arthur.” The gray-gold centaur’s introduction drew Andy’s attention back. He extended a hand down to shake Andy’s, then shook Alden’s and Hannah’s.

  “How’d you know we’d be here?” Hannah questioned.

  “For starters, we got a message on the whisper stream from that dragon friend of yours.”

  “That, and the stars practically screamed it,” added a palomino centaur joining them. “Name’s Brayden.”

  The pair of centaurs sported Chiron tattoos on their muscular biceps.

  “Of course, it helps if you haven’t failed Stargazing 101,” a lady centaur with a sprig of blue forget-me-nots tucked over one ear chimed in from behind.

  Brayden frowned before retorting, “Better Stargazing than Archery.” He flicked his brows. Then turning his attention back to the trio he added, “Pay Hildred no mind.”

  “I heard that. I passed Archery 101 on my second try I’ll have you know.” She cleared her throat. “For what it’s worth, I haven’t seen such a display from the stars in eons. They were leaving nothing to interpretation, so even you...” She grinned and let the sentence hang.