by Randi Darren
“Off we go then,” Vince said suddenly.
Stepping around Karya, he moved forward.
Towards the very fields that would lead to the walls of Verix.
The plan was fairly simple. Breach the wall, get in, move the slaves out. After that it was running pell-mell to a valley for Karya to do whatever she and the other Dryads had worked out.
On top of that, they had a touch of luck tonight. The night was a new moon, and the land was incredibly dark.
It’d put an Elf’s night vision to task and challenge even them to see what was going on.
Unexpected boons always made him paranoid. They were just as likely to go the opposite way.
“Three on the wall,” Karya whispered.
Looking to the wall, Vince couldn’t see anything. The dark of the night taxed his own night vision to its limit. They kept moving.
Luckily, or perhaps unluckily according to his paranoia, they made it to the wall without being spotted or revealed.
The cold stone chilled his back as he held his position against the wall. Staring up along the smooth stone he let out a slow breath.
It wasn’t interlocking stone, it was just… stone. Smooth, solid, untouched stone. He wasn’t sure if that would make it easier or harder for his Elves.
Taking two steps from the wall, Thera held up a hand and pressed it to the wall. A dark rectangle popped up on the wall.
Eva slid over, and pushed her hand into the inky blackness that her sister created.
Vince looked to the left, then back to the right. There wasn’t much he could do while they worked other than keep lookout.
“Only two in range now,” Karya said softly. “No one seems to be on alert, or even concerned.”
“Confidence will be their downfall this evening. Renege on a deal with me, will they?” Vince felt the anger welling up slowly from inside himself.
Inexorably, it began to overwhelm his good sense.
Karya’s soft warm lips pressed to his cheek. “We’ll make them pay, Darling. Calm yourself. Save all that energy for me, for later.”
Chapter 8
Thera and Eva were carefully magicking away the stone. Thera liquefied it, Eva redistributed it “elsewhere”, as she put it.
“We’re about to break through,” Thera whispered.
Vince stepped into the cut they’d made. It was wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Moving to the opposite end, he unsheathed his saber and waited quietly.
Karya had already assured him that no one was on the other side, but he would rather be ready.
Then the last bit of shadowed wall fell away, and he could see into the “slave” quarter.
All was quiet and still. There wasn’t a noise, light, or disturbance to be found.
It was eerie. Yet exactly like last time.
“No time like the present then,” Vince said, stepping into the empty lane. Moving to the closest home he knocked on the door, and then waited.
Eva, Thera, and Karya waited in the street. Nervous eyes and fingered weapons marked each one of them.
The door opened a crack, and Vince could barely make out a sliver of a face.
“Good evening. My name is Vince. I’m here to give you your freedom and take you away from the city.”
“Me? Why me?” asked a quiet voice.
“You, and everyone in this quarter,” Vince said around a vicious grin. “If you could help me wake up your neighbors, that’d be great.”
“I… my neighbors?”
“Yep. I’m going to go across the street and tell them the same thing. Then I’m going to go to the next street over and do the same thing.”
Turning partially away from the door he nodded to the homeowner. “You go down your side of the street and start waking people up. Have everyone head right over there,” Vince said, pointing to the hole in the wall. “Take only what you can carry in a pack, as we have no wagons, and no time. Preferably as much food and water as they can carry though.”
Vince waved at the door and headed across the street to repeat the same speech.
“Damned Pied Piper of Verix,” Vince murmured with a dark chuckle.
They’d been at the evacuation for two hours already. The steady stream of ex-slaves exiting the wall and across the field would have been spotted for sure, if not for Karya telling people when it was safe to speed across the open field when the guards were too far apart.
Eva was at the halfway point between the camp and the city, directing people along.
The Dryads would be guiding everyone from there to the valley they were gathering in.
Standing in the main plaza, Vince waited. Thera and Eva were doing a final sweep of the quarter to see if there was anyone they’d missed.
His anger was cooled now, though not spent. He’d exacted his revenge.
Expertly so.
But he felt petty. Vindictive even.
In the middle of the plaza was a blank plinth. As if a statue would have been put there, but no one had ever bothered.
Eva and Thera shadowed up to him, appearing beside him, one on each side.
“Nothing, Lord.”
“Master, not a soul remains.”
“Good. Let me just leave a note, and we’ll get out of here,” Vince said, scrambling up the plinth.
“A note, Master?”
“Lord, perhaps something else?”
“Huh? What d’ya have in mind?”
Eva lifted one hand and then spread her fingers out.
A tall stone obelisk shimmered into existence beside him.
“Huh. That’s rather impressive,” Vince said, truly surprised. “Can’t really carve what I want without it being loud though.”
“What do you wish to say, Lord?” Thera asked, moving around to the front of the obelisk.
“Oh… something simple, ya know. ‘By the terms of our agreement, I’ve collected my fee for the task I completed. Please send your bill to Yosemite and the account will be settled. Sincerely, Vince.’”
Thera snickered and then lifted a hand towards the stone.
A heartbeat later, and flaming red letters blackened the stone. The sound of sizzling stone was audible, but not very loud.
As the glow faded, he could see it was exactly what he’d said out loud. “Nice job, Thera. Alright, let’s go. We’re done here and I’d like to be on the road.”
Vince hopped down from the plinth and set off for the hole.
Karya waved them on as they approached. “No one’s watching, let’s go, Darling.”
Not waiting around for further instructions, Vince kept right on jogging, heading out into the field.
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Thera and Eva closing up the hole in under three seconds.
Must be quicker to fill it up than carefully break it down.
Finishing their work, they sprinted off after him.
He couldn’t look away as he watched the Elves in their long-legged, graceful stride.
At least until he almost tripped, barely catching his balance and not taking a face dive.
Without being caught, or even noticed, they slipped free of the fields of Verix.
Setting a quick pace, they caught up with the tail end of the group. It was being led by a Dryad he didn’t know, but he at least recognized her as one of his.
“Grove master!” blurted out the Dryad, moving to intercept him.
Karya was there before she could get to Vince. She put herself between her and the Dryad and pointed forwards. “Keep moving. We have to get to the valley before they start looking. We need time to prep.”
The Dryad looked to Karya then nodded her head, moving to the front of the group.
Honestly, the entire exchange was an odd one, or so Vince thought.
“They’re going to look for any opportunity to be near you. Until we can get everything stable, it’s best to keep them apart from you. Sorry, Darling,” Karya explained.
Apparently he hadn’t hid his confusion ve
ry well.
“Not a problem. Just seemed a little strange, that’s all.”
“Not so odd, Master. Often we find ourselves discouraging others from trying to get close to you,” Eva said.
“It’s true. We do the same, Lord,” Thera concurred. “Karya is doing nothing different than we ourselves do at home.”
“Ok, got it. Sorry. I wasn’t trying to make anyone feel like they’d done wrong.”
Karya’s green eyes went from Thera to Eva, before giving them a bright smile.
Not sure when the Elf and Dryad factions banded together, but it’s not going to make my life any easier.
Silence stepped in as Vince retreated into his thoughts. Grass passed by underfoot with every pace.
Eventually trees shrouded them in true darkness as they moved deeper and deeper into the wilderness west of Verix.
The path was sure and straight though. Whomever had chosen the route to the valley had been keen on making it simple.
Internally, Vince’s paranoia shrieked at him.
Anything this easy of a path, with how many pairs of feet that come through, would be a bonfire to any decent tracker.
Rather than voice his fear here and now, he’d reserve it for the right time.
He’d only panic everyone and it’d serve no purpose.
But what do we do? Karya seems certain that she can shroud an entire valley and keep us hidden. But for how long? The time limit on this was always the morning after the breakout.
Guards will come to collect the slaves for their work duties, find them missing. From that point, the hunt is on.
It’s not like they’ll give up quickly, would they?
Think, Vince, think.
All too soon, they stopped jogging through the woods. They’d reached the valley and its promised safety.
Now what?
Before the sun had even climbed into the sky the next day, Elven patrols were sweeping through the area all around them. Groups of two or three were practically running to find Vince and his freed peoples.
Karya had assured him that there would be no followable trail, as she’d been encouraging the land to cover it for them as they went. Being in the Wastes she told him the land was much more responsive to their needs.
He hadn’t believed it, until Ris had reported in that the vast majority of the scouting parties were heading along the trade routes and normal roads.
Everything had been going according to plan.
So when one of the Dryads crumpled to their knees and then slumped to the side, he wasn’t surprised. When things were going too well, things had to go wrong.
That’s just how life is.
Vince was beside the Dryad in a heartbeat, propping her head up gently.
Cradling her there in the grass, Vince looked around to see if he could find Karya. She’d been on the move in the last few minutes, though now he suspected he knew why.
Whatever they were doing to fool the Elves, it was taxing them.
Sunset was only a few minutes away now, and darkness would rule the land in an hour.
Catching sight of Karya he stared at her, waiting for her to turn and look in his direction so he could get her help.
He wasn’t sure what was wrong with the Dryad, and he didn’t know how or if he could even help.
As if summoned to do so by his will, Karya turned around and looked straight at him. Then she was rushing over to him as she noticed the fallen Dryad.
“Goodness. She should have told me, the silly thing,” Karya said, fussing over the Dryad. Her fingers pressing to the sides of the fallen woman’s throat.
“Tell you what, exactly?” Vince asked. “I’ve been very generous in letting you do as you would, Karya. But I think at this point I deserve an answer as to what exactly you’re doing.”
Karya bit her lip and then smoothed the woman’s hair back from her face. “The inverse of what a Dryad normally does. We’re charming people to go away from here.
“Some of these girls are so young though, that they don’t have the strength for it. She pushed herself a touch too far, and passed out. She’ll be fine, though she’ll probably have a headache when she wakes up.
“I’m sorry, Darling. We’ve failed you.”
“Hardly. All it means is we need to move on to the next part of the plan. If we swing south, we can move down and around the mountain range, then north along the interior side of it. It’s far more likely to have food we can scavenge, hunt, or barter for. We’ve far too many mouths to feed, and not nearly enough food.”
Karya turned her head to the side. She still looked angry at herself for her perceived failing.
“If you can get us to nightfall, Eva and Thera might be able to conceal us long enough for us to make our escape. Can you do that, Karya? My lovely little Dryad?” Vince asked.
Karya lifted a hand and pressed it to her cheek. “I think so. But it’ll tire my girls. They’ll need to be carried from here.”
“I’m sure there are very willing arms and legs who can bear such a weight as we make our escape. Once we get a bit further away, and I feel safer, we can cull the herd, so to speak. Give everyone the chance to walk away or come with us.”
“They’re all going to come. They knew of Yosemite City before we arrived.”
“Great. So, keep us hidden till nightfall?”
“I… I can do that.”
Vince nodded and then laid the Dryad back to the ground, arranging her clothes and limbs to be as comfortable as he could.
Stepping away from Karya and the unconscious Dryad, Vince moved to where Ris was perched nearby.
Walking up to the tree branch he smiled at the fairy. “Evenin’, Ris. I have a favor to ask.”
Ris said nothing, but simply stared at Vince, waiting.
“I need you to get back to Yosemite City, and tell Elysia I’ll be coming up from the south with a large number of people. I don’t know how she can help, but anything she can do would be appreciated. Got the gist of the message?”
“Yes! Ris has been given a life or death important message! Ris will not fail!” The tiny fairy zipped off without another word.
Sighing, Vince watched the miniature comet zoom off.
Best of luck and thank you.
“Elf taste bad,” grumbled a whimsical voice from a bush nearby.
A pair of red flickering eyes watched him from the foliage.
The monster from the woods had indeed been following him.
For days.
No wonder his senses had been crying out. He’d been literally treated as prey.
“Taste bad, but good meal. Ate four. Many days meal. You show where good meal is, so I share. You want rest this one? Others in dirt. Hid them.”
Two gray clawed hands came out of the greenery to roll a dead High Elf towards him. The body flopped over, one arm hitting the grass and the other laying on its bloody chest.
The man’s face was frozen in a look of empty eyed horror. His chest had been smashed open. He couldn’t tell from this distance but he was betting the heart had been ripped out.
Where the good meal is? As in, I showed her to pull out the beating heart?
“I ah… I’m good. Already ate. Can you put that one in the dirt, too? So the others don’t find it and scare off the prey?” Vince asked, trying his best to hit her predatory mind.
“You full? Good. I hide in dirt, then back.”
Those gray clawed hands snapped out and sunk into the dead Elf’s chest, then dragged it back into the bush.
As if she was never there, she vanished.
She made Vince, Thera, and Eva all look like clumsy newborn deer.
“Holy shit,” Vince said after ten seconds passed. She was an incredible hunter. They’d gotten lucky finding her first, before she found them back there in the Wendigo woods.
“Darling, I can’t sense the scouts that were in the area. I think they’ve left,” Karya said from behind him. “I think we should get moving. How do you want to d
o this?”
Vince turned his eyes from the bush his stalker had been in, and looked to the Dryad.
Behind her was her troop of Dryads. All were on their feet, though a few looked unsteady.
“Ah, we head south. Across the ridge and onto an old road to the southwest. The signs are faded but it leads down south, down and around the mountains. Longer, but safer.”
Karya gave a short bob of her head and turned to other Dryads and began giving orders to them.
Vince tracked down Eva and Thera and gave them the same information he’d given Karya.
Soon after that, the entire group was on the move.
Slow and ponderous, the group moved out of the valley and into the plains to the south west. It was slow going. Terrifyingly so.
There were several times where they’d been forced to speed up or slow down, depending on what Karya felt was nearby.
As unlikely as it felt to Vince, their luck held, and not a single patrol was heading their way.
Vince wasn’t quite sold on the luck factor, and thought back to a pair of red eyes. Red eyes that had told him Elven hearts were “good meals” and that she’d eaten a number of them already.
He’d have to see to this stalker of his at some point, he didn’t imagine for a second she’d simply leave him alone.
She seemed like an imprinted animal more than anything. A tamed wolf that seemed content to eat whatever their owner brought or put down nearby.
In this case, Elves.
“Karya,” Vince said suddenly, making up his mind.
“Yes, Darling?” Karya had remained at his side, her Dryads spread throughout the mass tagging along behind them. Thera and Eva were both working the rear of the mob.
“Remember that creature I mentioned in the woods? The red eyed one?”
“Yes, I do. She sounds as if she’s under a curse or… well, undead. Why?”
“She’s still around. I’m pretty sure she’s been following me. She showed up just before we headed out. She said she’d killed and eaten the hearts of four Elves.
“I’m not sure this is the best time and place to bring it up, but I think it might be prudent. I’m almost positive she’s why you keep feeling scouts that simply go ‘out of range.’ They’re not going out of range, they’re being eaten.”
