While she was doing this, Lan’thor would teach Logan about hunting and wilderness survival or Logan would teach Lan’thor about healing and metals.
Logan was interested to learn that, as he suspected, the elves had no use for metal. It was not a thing they found naturally in their forests and it reminded them too much of their ancient foes the dwarves. Lan’thor was hesitant to even touch the stuff, until Logan showed him the obvious martial advantages. Like a true warrior, once he realized those, Lan’thor couldn’t get enough of it and Logan had to promise to make the elf a proper sword as soon as possible.
When they weren’t discussing hunting or survival the two males practiced their combat. Though they never got as rough as they did in their first bout, they were both very competitive and more often than not El came back to camp yelling at them to behave themselves and announcing she wasn’t about to play nursemaid should one of them get injured.
Each morning three deer would appear as they broke camp. Sometimes, these were new animals and sometimes, previous mounts would return. But, whether old or new, by morning they were always there and ready to go.
Even with these fabulous mounts, it still took the trio more than a month to pass through the great Southern Forest. Logan still found that his tailbone ached every time he dismounted, though he had to admit that things didn’t hurt as much as they used to.
It was Lan’thor who noticed it first, a slight thinning of the trees that constantly surrounded them. Then, about an hour later, the deer they rode stopped. The large stag, as on the first day, was carrying El again. The beautiful elf steadied herself on the stags back and closed her eyes. She slowed her breathing and relaxed for a few moments. When she opened her eyes she slid from the great stag’s back and stroked his powerful neck. Lan’thor and Logan looked at each other and followed her lead, sitting quietly while they waited for her to finish. Finally, she turned to face them.
“This is the edge of the great forest,” she announced. “They will take us no further.”
Logan turned to his mount and scratched her behind her ears. He stroked her neck and hugged her close.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
The deer turned at the big stag’s lead and bounded back toward the heart of the forest. Logan, like the others, was sorry to see them go.
“So, now, we walk,” he announced with more than a little regret.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Things That Go Thump In The Night
Another fortnight of walking found them skirting the edge of the Eastern Swamp. The temperature had slowly crept upwards as they moved north and that, with the closeness of the swamp, meant that the companions were perpetually hot and sticky. It seemed that they were covered in a continual sheen of sweat. Along with the constant heat and moisture, came other joys. The friends found themselves the target of regular air strikes from an incredible variety of biting and stinging insects. The two elves had particular trouble in this area, the insects seemed attracted to the thin-skinned creatures and often ignored Logan’s thicker hide-like skin in their quest for more tender meat. And, if all this wasn’t enough, there was the earth itself.
The terrain had become soft and mushy under foot and the three friends had to be extremely careful where they stepped. Soft mud could look deceptively solid, until it was stepped onto, at which point one sank to the hip in thick, sticky mud. More than once, they had to stop to pull a member of the group out of one of these deceiving mud puddles. As a result, walking became even slower and more cautious.
Unfortunately, the three often found themselves on poor, soft soil as night fell. In these instances they had no choice but to push on in the growing darkness until a firm patch could be found. This could be extremely treacherous and dangerous since it became even harder to see the dangers that lay ahead. As a result, when they found a good size patch of firm ground they had to seriously consider whether or not they should stop their travels and set up camp for the evening, even if night was an hour or so off.
This had been the case one evening about an hour before dusk. The three had found a relatively firm patch of ground and had decided to set up camp. They were all exhausted and the constant wet had made them all a little touchy so there hadn’t been much argument. The consensus was to turn in early and hope that a good night’s sleep would allow them a fresh start. As the sun set the three friends were already trying to get comfortable on their bedrolls.
Logan’s sensitive ears woke him from a deep sleep to the distant sound of drums. The full moon was high in the night sky and he figured it was probably somewhere around midnight. Sitting up, he found Lan’thor beginning to stir from his own bedroll; apparently the drums had awoken the elf as well. The two nodded across the fire at each another, then looked towards El’s sleeping blankets to see if she’d also been disturbed by the drums.
Her blankets were empty. The two exchanged a quick glance, then sprang up from their blankets and grabbed up their weapons. Lan’thor signalled to Logan that he was going to check for tracks. Logan nodded and closed his eyes to see if he could hear anything moving around them. The only sound that came was the distant drumming. He opened his eyes after a few moments to see Lan’thor standing quietly waiting for him to finish.
The elf raised a brow in question and Logan responded with a quick shake of his head. Lan’thor nodded in response and knelt to point out some tracks on the ground and then pointed toward the swamp. Logan sighed quietly to himself.
Surprise, surprise, he thought. Straight into the swamp.
The tracks were definitely El’s and sure enough they led directly toward the heart of the swamp.
As Lan led the way, Logan also couldn’t help but notice that the path they traveled led them straight for the distant drumming.
An intense burst of light momentarily brightened the night sky ahead of them. It was followed immediately by the sound of screaming. As the sky faded back into darkness, the screaming abruptly ended. Lan’thor looked over his shoulder at Logan, the concern visible in his face even in the moonlight.
They had been following El’s tracks for the better part of an hour, plunging them deeper and deeper into the swamp. Lan had felt certain that they were closing in on her, though the flash in the sky did little to reassure either of them about her safety. When the garbled high-pitched whine of voices from up ahead reached their ears, it did even less. They decided to risk leaving El’s path and try tracking through the swamp itself. Hopefully, they would be able to avoid stumbling into whatever had caused all the commotion.
Lan’thor and Logan prowled carefully through the swamp. The going was harder than following El’dreathia’s path, though hopefully safer. Though, as something large and reptilian slid past Logan’s leg in the murky shallows, he found himself questioning the safer route theory.
Eventually, they came to the edge of a large clearing. The two hid themselves behind the rotting remains of an old fallen tree and studied the scene before them. It didn’t look good.
The clearing was quite large and, if it wasn’t for the fact that it was currently occupied by a tribe of short greyish creatures, it would have made an excellent campsite. The little monsters had overlarge heads and eyes with sharp pointed teeth in what seemed to be constantly moving overlarge mouths. They were short, much shorter than Logan himself, but they seemed to possess a wiry strength. Lan shuddered and leaned over close to Logan.
“Goblins!” Lan’thor whispered, the sound of disgust clear in his tone.
Logan shot a nervous glance at his friend. Logan’s father had told him stories about the little grey monsters, and none of them were good. The creatures were known for their vileness. They were bad tempered, worse smelling and would eat anything they could lay their slimy little hands on.
Of course, thought Logan. Living in the putrid stench of the swamp could soil any creature’s disposition.
But, the little monsters seemed to thrive here. They were scavengers and opportunists and they were incredibly cowardly, exce
pt in large numbers. As Logan surveyed the clearing before him, he realized that they had a very large problem.
A large fire was being stoked in the centre of the clearing and above it sat a large cast iron cauldron. Standing before the cauldron was a particularly bent and gnarled goblin with his back towards Lan and Logan. He was rapidly making gestures and writing symbols in the air before the growing fire. The fire seemed to rise and flare in response. Lan and Logan looked toward each other.
“Mage?” asked Logan.
Lan’thor responded with a quick nod.
Perfect, thought Logan. Just what we need.
To the right side of the fire was a cage about three feet high and six feet wide. It was made from what looked like lashed together branches of the thin springy trees that seemed quite common in the swamp. The cage was guarded by about five of the little grey monsters, who were currently taking great delight at poking the dark figure held within the cage with the points of their spears.
Movement to the left of the camp caught Logan’s eye, he nudged Lan’thor and gestured toward the commotion. A group of about twenty goblins was half leading, half dragging El into the camp.
Her hands had been bound and a gag had been tied firmly over her mouth. Unfortunately for El, this effectively stopped her from casting any magic.
That was probably the general idea, thought Logan bitterly. The goblins aren’t as dumb as they look.
A large welt trickled blood down the side of her face and the flesh around her left eye was already beginning to swell. The goblins had not been gentle with her.
After a few moments, three more goblins entered the camp carrying the remains of one of their own. The goblin they carried was badly burned, most likely El’s doing, but given the gaping hole in the creature’s chest, it had probably been a spear that killed it. The three brought the dead goblin’s body to the goblin mage standing before the fire. The goblin mage slowly examined the remains of the creature and finally gestured toward the cauldron.
The three goblins giggled hysterically as they stripped the few possessions off their tribesman and threw the remains into the now boiling cauldron. Logan tasted bile in his throat.
On top of everything else, thought Logan. The little monsters are cannibals.
The goblin mage had meanwhile sauntered over to the group of goblins holding El. The nearest of the creatures, tried to cringe away from the newcomer, all the while, still trying to maintain his hold on his prisoner. The mage spoke quickly with his men. As the goblin’s horrid little laugh carried across the clearing to him, Logan was thankful that he was too far away for his talisman to translate whatever the little monster was saying.
The goblin mage pushed forward towards El and reached up and grasped her breast. Logan saw El’s eyes fill with anger and disgust as the vile little creature groped her. The horrid laugh continued.
Logan didn’t realize that he was moving until he felt Lan’thor’s firm hand on his arm restraining him. He looked back darkly at his friend, who shook his head at him. Logan settled back beside Lan’thor.
As they watched, the goblin horde led El to the wooden cage and threw her in with the other figure. Lan tapped Logan’s shoulder and pointed back toward the trees. Logan followed him away from the clearing and away from the goblins.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: If A Tree Falls In The Forest …
Logan was not happy at leaving El behind, but Lan’thor raised his hand before he could voice his complaint. He crouched low in the swamp and pulled Logan close.
“We need a plan,” he whispered.
“You think?” snapped Logan, sarcastically.
Lan gave him a dirty look and Logan shook his head and raised his hands in resignation.
“I know. I’m sorry Lan,” he apologized. “I just hate this.”
Logan sighed deeply before continuing.
“So what do you think?”
Lan’thor sat back on his haunches and smiled broadly at Logan.
“What else,” he said with mock cheerfulness. “I provide a distraction and you sneak in and rescue the fair maiden.”
Logan considered for a moment before responding.
“Good plan, but one flaw.”
Lan raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Logan beamed back at him.
“I’ll provide the distraction and you’ll do the sneaking,” he replied.
“No way!” Lan’thor almost shouted but caught himself in a ragged whisper.
“Shhhh!” Logan cautioned. “Think about it Lan. If we want this to work, we have to do it this way. We both know that you’re much better at not being seen than I am.”
Lan’thor grudgingly nodded at his friend.
“Think of El,” he continued. “The chances of you sneaking across a camp full of goblins, breaking her out of the cage and getting her out are incredibly slim. The chances of me doing it are almost non-existent and we both know it.”
“You do know that this was the reason the council didn’t want her to come along in the first place, right?” Lan’thor commented.
Logan could see the frustration in his friend’s eyes, but he chose not to answer. What could he say? Lan was right. This was exactly the reason the council had not wanted El to go with them. But, she had and they had let her. There really wasn’t any point in arguing about what was or what should have been.
And if all this goes to Hades, Logan thought. I’ll never forgive myself.
Lan’thor studied his friend in silence for a moment before finally sighing and nodding his consent.
“All right,” he agreed. “Leaving her behind isn’t an option and you have a point, if we want this to work we have to do it your way. But,” he added. “You just remember that I’m not leaving without you. Don’t make me have to sneak back in there and save you too.”
Logan held back a small laugh and patted his friend’s shoulder.
“You just make sure El is safe.”
Despite their earlier animosity, El and Lan’thor had become good friends. They had reached an understanding. Lan knew that she wasn’t meant for him. He had come to accept that fact weeks ago. He also knew how much she meant to Logan.
It must be killing him to leave her rescue to anyone other than himself, he thought.
He also knew that Logan had assessed the situation correctly. The only way this plan had any hope of success was with Lan doing the quiet, sneaky part and Logan doing his best impression of a bull moose in a pottery shop.
The other thing that Lan’thor knew with absolute certainty was that El would kill him if anything happened to Logan. She was absolutely in love with the little man and Lan couldn’t understand how his friend missed it. He shook his head in frustration.
Enough of this, he thought. There’ll be time for love and relationships later. Assuming we all live through the night.
Lan’thor and Logan finished discussing the details of their plan. When it came down to it, there really wasn’t a great deal to discuss. The chance of it working was slim. The chance of one or all of them being killed was great. They agreed that Logan would give the elf a slow ten count before starting his distraction. Lan’thor would sneak into the camp and free El and possibly the other captive, if possible. If things were really going well, he would try to kill the goblin mage. The last part was a long shot, the icing on the cake, and only to be attempted after El was free and clear.
The two friends clasped arms one last time, then Lan’thor disappeared into the swamp.
Here we go, thought Logan.
He prayed silently to Hephaestus. They would need all the help they could get.
One …
As he made his way back to the goblin camp, Logan thought out the task before him. The only distraction he had readily available was himself. That meant walking into a camp of armed goblins and holding their attention long enough for Lan to get El free.
Translation, he thought. I need to stay alive long enough to give the others time to escape.
The chance of sur
viving that type of distraction was extra-ordinarily slim to say the least, but he had to try. He had no alternatives and he couldn’t let El become food or worse for a group of disgusting monsters.
Two …
Logan studied the camp again. The goblin mage was mixing some powder of some sort into his cauldron. For all Logan new, it could be something magical or it could simply be soup seasoning. Logan grimaced in disgust.
Probably a bit of both, he thought.
With the light from the goblin’s fire, Logan could just make out El and the other captive in the wooden cage. El was still bound, but Logan could see her struggling to free herself. Around the cage he counted four guards.
The other must have rejoined the main group, he thought.
Three …
Logan did a quick count of the main body of the goblin horde located to the left of the large caldron. The little monsters were squabbling and chattering at each other and their constant motion made them it hard to get an exact number, but Logan figured about nineteen.
That leaves two of the little monsters unaccounted for, he thought.
Slithering forward on his belly, Logan looked left and right.
There they are, he thought.
The two missing goblins were walking perimeter around the camp. Logan huffed to himself as he slid back into the swamp.
Nope, he thought. Definitely not as dumb as they look.
Four …
Now for a distraction, he thought.
His original thought had been to just walk into the camp with his hammer swinging. Sure it lacked grace and finesse and it would probably get him killed, but it would get their attention. He grinned to himself as he thought of the mayhem he would cause.
Yep, he laughed quietly. It would definitely get their attention.
The Hammer's Fall Page 13
