Rise of the Retics

by T J Lantz

  Tyranna sighed. This is not how she expected her night to go. She just wanted to find Jaxon, explain that he was being an idiot, and convince him to come back to school before anyone realized he was even gone. Instead, now he was being held captive by a deranged faerie lunatic, Rigby was laying on an operating table fighting for her life, and to top it all off, in just a few hours Professor Tallhat would be finding out that she snuck out of school and deserved to be expelled. What would happen than? Would they find her another place to stay? Put her in jail? Exile her?

  “You ready to go, Tyr?” Sam asked as she stared out into the darkness of the city streets. A few open windows bled a tiny bit of candle light, but the moon was dim and it was very difficult to see more than a few feet ahead of Dr. Kelda’s home.

  “Go where?” Tyranna answered. “Dr. Kelda told us to stay here and wait for her to finish surgery.”

  “No offense intended to Dr. Kelda, but she has no authority over me. I certainly did not agree with her demand to sit here and do nothing. I promised you that I would help you find Jaxon and bring him home and I plan on keeping that promise. You can always trust a member of the Acorn Guard to keep their oaths, regardless of the circumstance.”

  “But you don’t even like Jaxon.”

  “It’s no secret that he is not my favorite person, but I gave you my word. Besides, no one deserves the treatment that I’m sure Jaxon is receiving. Mirabella is not someone you want to cross paths with. And I think after what she did to Rigby, I’d like to have some words with her.”

  “Sam also wants to prove that she can handle herself on the streets at night,” interjected Gnipper matter of factly. “I can tell. Her cheeks turned red and puffy when Dr. Kelda said that we couldn’t defend ourselves. It’s how you can tell she’s mad.”

  “Be quiet, Gnip! I wasn’t mad. I was just annoyed that she was so wrong.”

  Tyranna thought about it for a moment. She was already going to be in trouble, there was no changing that. But she did still have the ability to help Jaxon.

  “Ok,” Tyranna responded. “I’m in. What’s the plan?”

  “We need to make our way to the sheriff’s office and inform him about the kidnapping. He’ll know what to do.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Gnipper replied. “Except it’s about to rain.”

  Tyranna looked up. The night sky, usually so full of bright gleaming stars, was particularly cloudy. Gnipper was probably right about the weather.

  “How does rain have anything to do with it?” asked Sam.

  “Footprints,” replied Gnipper with absolute certainty.

  “You’re right, Gnip. Good thinking,” replied Sam with enthusiasm.

  “I don’t get it. What do footprints have to do with anything?” Tyranna asked, a little bewildered.

  “It’s simple really, Tyr. If we want to find Jaxon then we need to be able to track where they went. To do that you need to follow their footprints. If it rains, they’ll all be washed away and we won’t have a clue where to even start looking.”

  “But wouldn’t the sheriff know where they hide?” Tyranna asked.

  “Not likely,” Sam interjected. “The DiBasso’s own several buildings here in the city and an island off the coast that they keep very private . . . and that’s just the stuff everyone knows about. By morning, Jaxon could be anywhere on Rosehaven, removed from the island, or dead. We don’t even know why she would take him in the first place. It certainly wasn’t for his personality, that much I know.”

  Even Tyranna had to agree with that, and she was his friend. Even if they didn’t intend to kill him, he could change that with a just a few unwise words. Unfortunately for Jaxon, those were the ones he had always been best at.

  “Well, what do we do then?” Tyranna inquired.

  “Simple,” the squirrel-kin answered. “We head to where they attacked him and see if they left a trail, then we can follow it and make sure we know what to tell the sheriff before we wake him.”

  “Do you know how to follow a trail of footprints?” Tyranna asked the other girls.

  “Of course,” Sam replied as if it should have been obvious. “It was part of training with my father. Need to be prepared for everything as a guardsman . . . err, guardswoman.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” exclaimed Gnipper. “Let’s go save a demon!”

  “You know, Gnipper,” Tyranna replied, “I’m not sure anyone has ever said those words before.”

  #

  It didn’t take long for the girls to reach the spot where Jaxon had been kidnapped, but it was long enough. A few blocks before they arrived, the sky opened and drenched the island in an explosive downpour. The dirt roads were quickly turned into a mixture of mud and small streams. Any sign of footprints were quickly and thoroughly washed away.

  “Gnabbot!” Gnipper yelled, uttering her favorite gnomish profanity.

  “I can’t find anything to go on,” replied Sam as she searched the ground. “Even the blood stains from Rigby are washing away quickly.”

  Tyranna didn’t know what to do. If they couldn’t find tracks, then there was no way they could discern where Mirabella took him.

  But then she had a thought. She might not be able to see tracks, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. All she needed was something she was familiar with . . . something with the right set of skills.

  She began to concentrate on the image she conjured into her mind. She breathed deeply and began to shake violently in a manner that was becoming second nature. A few seconds later the transformation was complete.

  Roof!

  Gnipper turned to the dog and nearly jumped back in confusion. “Rigby! Wow, that was a really fast surgery! Your healing rate is fantastic. Are you part lizard? Some of them can regenerate tails, you know.”

  “Gnipper, that’s not Rigby,” Sam interjected calmly. “Tyr shifted. I believe she intends to try and track Jaxon’s scent.”

  Tyranna barked an affirmative.

  She began to sniff around. There were so many smells to decipher. Sam and Gnipper had theirs, the rain smashing repeatedly into her face brought another, a few goats nearby wafted in with the wind, but then she had it. The faint smell of brimstone and sweat— Jaxon’s odor. She had spent enough time with him to know it anywhere.

  Excited to find the way, Tyranna broke into a run, stopping to sniff every few seconds and let Gnipper catch up. Sam had no trouble, bounding through the mud like it wasn’t even there.

  After fifteen minutes of quick travel, Tyranna stopped. They were at the edge of town, where the buildings stopped and the quarry and mines began. It was still several hours before any of the workers were set to arrive and the place was nearly deserted. Shifting back to her normal form, Tyranna pointed toward a mine opening in the distance. “His scent leads directly in there, but it’s definitely not the only one I could smell. He’s not alone.”

  “Great job, Tyr.” Gnipper said patting her on the shoulder. “We should go get the sheriff now.”

  “No,” replied Sam.

  “No?” Gnipper and Tyranna responded in unison.

  “You heard me. I’ll go in and get him. They could kill him in the time it takes us to get Quicktrigger and get back here.”

  “Sam, that’s ridiculous,” Tyranna chastised. “These are dangerous people. You could get hurt.”

  “I promised you that I would get Jaxon back alive and I plan on keeping that promise.” Sam kept her eyes trained on the entrance of the cave, not even bothering to make eye contact with her objecting friends.

  “That’s not it at all,” cried Gnipper, obviously annoyed. “You’re lying. I’ve known you since you were two. I know it when you’re being dishonest. Your tail twitches.”

  “That’s absurd,” Sam growled back. “It does not.”

  Tyranna stared at her friend’s tail. It was in fact twitching. “You know Sam, she’s right. It is moving a bit.”

  Sam turned and looked at the other two girls for what seem
ed like an eternity before she spoke.

  “Ah, fine. I’m going to go in and save him because it’s the only way I can make up for losing to him in the arena. If the community hears that he needed me to save his life, they will realize that match was a fluke, and I will be able to earn my honor back. Besides, do you have any idea how upset everyone at home is about me losing to a demon? I haven’t been able to show my face in Drey, my home, in weeks. I’m doing this with you two or without you.”

  “I’m going to get the sheriff,” Gnipper responded, “before you get yourself killed. Tyr, are you coming with me?”

  Tyr looked around. It might not have been her real reason, but Sam was right. A delay could mean his death. Besides, no one here was as well suited to sneaking in as she was. This was something she had to do.

  “I’m going in with Sam,” Tyranna decided. Besides it’s getting to be light out. You’ll be alright on your own.”

  “Fine!” Gnipper snapped angrily as she stormed off. “I’ll make sure to say nice things at your funeral.”

  Tyranna waited a moment, listening as the sound of the rain clanking off the top of Gnipper’s iron hat faded into the distance. “Alright Sam, what’s our plan?”

  Chapter 25

  A Tail Gone Wrong

  Jaxon

  Rosehaven: The Mining District

  November 11, 1503

  Jaxon couldn’t believe his luck as he traveled down the mine shaft toward the faint shards of daylight that marked the exit. Finally, after three years of living with her, knowing Saan had been good for something.

  He picked up his pace a little as the darkness of the mine began to fade. For the first time since he awoke he could think about something else but escaping. His thoughts, jumbled and quick inside his mind, jumped right to Rigby. He knew it was completely insane to even hope that she was still alive, the beating had been so severe, but he had to check anyway. She had just been left there. What if she wasn’t hurt as badly as she looked? What if someone came by and helped her? He had to get back as quickly as possible and find out for himself.

  Moving as fast as he dared in the dim lighting, Jaxon bounded through the musty old mineshaft, bobbing and weaving his way across loose rocks and uneven ground. Except for several delays to awkwardly pull spider webs out of his hair, and of course make sure that the web’s creator wasn’t crawling on him, Jaxon made good time returning to the surface.

  He was deep in concentration, half of him trying to navigate without falling and the other half trying to create positive scenarios that ended with Rigby being alive and well. The distracted half-demon never even noticed the large jagged rock plowing into the side of his head. For the second time in a day, Jaxon lay unconscious on the floor. Had he been able to think coherently, he surely would have realized that it was definitely not good for his brain.

  He awoke some time later, dizzy and groggy, his surroundings spinning in multiple directions at one time.

  “Wha . . . What happened?” he managed to stammer.

  “Oh good, you’re awake. That will make this hurt a lot more.” The cheerful threat came from somewhere above him. He tried to focus, but all he could see were abrupt flashes of bright color mingled in with the torchlight.

  “What? Where am I?”

  “You’re in the same place you were before you tried to escape, you red-skinned idiot. You think I trust that one-eyed moron-a-clops as your only babysitter? Of course not. As soon as that oaf let you out, I was informed of it. I have spies everywhere! I must say though, I was impressed by how easily you were able to talk your way out of here, but I’m not going to lie to you Jaxon—now you’ve annoyed me. Before, you were just an irritating half-blood with connected parents to make some quick wealth off of, but now you’ve made me look bad in front of my men. That was a big mistake on your part. Now you have to pay for that mistake.” Even in the darkness Jaxon could clearly see Mirabella’s pearly white smile. It made her words sound even more menacing.

  The room was the only large cavernous space that he had come across when trying to make his way to freedom. Its walls were earthen, with several large wooden support beams scattered intermittently throughout. Affixed to each wall section was a small bronze sconce, each lit and providing the small light they had to go on. Off to his left was the same cell he had woken in earlier. The only thing different was that Bryndin was missing from his guard post and that Jaxon’s hands were tied behind his back.

  “What are you going to do to me?” Jaxon asked sheepishly. He was scared. He had known the whole time how dangerous of a situation he was in, but this was the first time he truly felt it. His body shook with nerves and he had to make a mental effort not to urinate on himself. People would understand and respect dead if that was the end result, but no one respected a pants wetter, ever.

  As Mirabella flew down closer to Jaxon’s face he could see her two jagged facial scars illuminated in a bright flicker of torchlight. She looked like she had been stitched together, a horrible creation of some mad gnomish scientist to create the perfect killer.

  “What am I going to do you ask? Jensen, Ralph, can you believe he just asked me that?”

  Jaxon could hear the loud, hearty laughter of the two figures behind her. Must be the dwarves, he thought. Dwarven laughs were easy to distinguish. They were always loud and boisterous, yet fake in a way, like they were being forced.

  “What I’m gonna do, Jaxon Miniheart, is take that pretty little tail of yours and cut it right off. Then I’m going to send it to your mother, Saan, the singer that my guard seemed to like so much, and let her know that it was her fault you had to lose it.” Mirabella laughed maniacally.

  “Oh,” she continued, “and I’m also going to kill you.”

  Jaxon watched as her small pale hand grabbed an ivory-handled dagger from her belt. The blade was sharp and serrated, but not very long, barely four inches, but compared to Mirabella it looked like a small sword. Jaxon couldn’t help but notice that it looked like a particularly painful knife to get stabbed with.

  “Please. I can help you! I can do anything you want, just tell me . . . .” Jaxon pleaded to the orange-winged faerie, but she paid little attention to his cries as she tried to figure out the best way to approach this.

  “I’ll tell you what Jaxon. I’ll let you pick. Tail first or heart first?”

  “What? You’re gonna . . .”

  “Tail first!” Mirabella screamed, deciding for herself. Her left hand grabbed the edge of Jaxon’s long pointed appendage while the right hand swung down catching it at around its midway point.

  Jaxon screamed in pain, his yells echoing off every surface of the room and reverberating back into his own ears. Jaxon had fallen on his tail and bruised it many times, but never had he experienced such pain as he did now. It was like every nerve from his waist down was screaming in solidarity for their lost comrades.

  Jaxon watched as his severed tail twitched on the ground like a dying snake. Blood gushed out from the remaining stump, reinvigorated by every breath Jaxon drew. He had never realized tails bled so much.

  “Now that that’s out of the way, there’s no more need of you Mr. Miniheart.” Mirabella pulled her blade back behind her head, squaring it up to Jaxon’s chest.

  Jaxon was in too much pain to care. The blood loss already made him drowsy and his vision clouded. What did it matter anyway? Rigby was dead. His only friend, Tyranna, hated him now for leaving her, and she was completely right about it being too dangerous to go. And to make matters worse, now he had no tail. Never in millennia had there been a powerful demon lord without a tail. It would be like a dwarf without a beard or a Cyclops with two eyes, just completely unfathomable. He might as well be dead.

  Mirabella swung down with all her strength, perfectly lined up to pierce straight through his heart.

  Clash!

  Jaxon opened his eyes.

  Mirabella looked stunned by the sound of metal on metal as her knife flew from her hand and skittered across
the floor into the darkness.

  Standing over him, was the dark tail of a squirrel-kin. Noticing that a few small patches of fur were missing, Jaxon figured he was dead and this was the afterlife. For all eternity he would get to lie in pain while Sam’s derriere stood over him. It was going to be a horrible existence.

  “Step away from the demon!” Sam demanded, sounding confident and strong. “Drop your weapons, line up by the wall, and no one has to get hurt.”

  “Oh, you must be kidding me. Aren’t you the little thing that got burnt to a crisp by that one? I was there. I saw the whole thing. Not enough blood if you ask me, but entertaining nonetheless. You weren’t too bad either, for a child. It’s too bad you’ve seen our hideout. You had potential.”

  Mirabella quickly drew two new daggers from her belt. They were longer than the first, with a slight curve to the blades, but each had an identical white ivory handle.

  “Ralph. Jensen. I got this one. You watch the demon.” Mirabella, hovering a few feet in front of Sam, lunged at her with both her knives crossing toward Sam’s chest. The squirrel-kin easily flipped backward into a somersault. She landed with both her own blades drawn and at the ready.

  Though Jaxon struggled to make out his black-furred defender in the torchlight, the silver hand guards on each of her blades glinted magnificently, making each parry and thrust seem like two shooting stars in the night sky.

  Mirabella, enraged at the lack of respect Sam had shown by dodging, flew herself at the squirrel-kin. Sam moved quickly to her right, using her left sword to deflect the knife away from her body. Seeing an opportunity, Sam dove her other blade toward Mirabella’s bright orange wing, very easy to identify in the dim lighting, but she was just as quick and turned before Sam could connect.

  The fight continued with both participants flying around the room in a circle. Jaxon watched as Mirabella kept pushing attack after attack, getting noticeably more frustrated with each missed attempt. Sam remained stoic and untiring, dodging, rolling, parrying, or somersaulting away from each and every blow.