“Aye,” Corthos said. “You run into the hole in the wall…”
“I got that part.”
“You make a lot of noise…” Corthos continued.
“Sounds simple enough.”
“And as soon as you think the creature is about to strike, you run out of the hole.”
“OK, you see, that’s the part I’m not comfortable with.”
“It be safer than trying to hunt the thing in its own hole.”
“Do we even know what it is?”
“No,” Thor chimed in.
“But we think it’s deadly?”
“We saw it eat one of the scorpions,” Corthos said, reassuringly. “One o’ the bigger scorpions.”
“And we think it’s edible?”
“Aye,” Corthos said. “Methinks.”
“It’s more edible than rock,” Thor added, “Which is what our diet will consist of in about twelve hours.”
“Alright, fine,” Jareld said. He took a couple of steps toward the dark hole in the wall of the cave. What manner of beast rested within, only--
“OK, just one thing,” Jareld said, turning back to his friends, “Why am I the one going in?”
“I be the best with the sword,” Corthos said. “I need to be out here, so I can strike the thing down.”
“Fine,” Jareld said, then turned to Thor, “And you?”
“I don’t like confined spaces,” Thor answered. He really didn’t.
“Very well,” Jareld said, “I’ll go lure out dinner.”
“Wait!” Corthos shouted.
“Well, do you want me to go or--”
“Mister Jareld,” Corthos said, “It be right behind you.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jareld said, “The hole--”
“No!” Thor said in a shouted whisper, “The thing is right behind you.”
Jareld went stiff. Only his eyes moved, darting from left to right. His breathing altogether stopped.
“What is it?” he asked in a soft voice.
“I cannot tell,” Corthos said, “You be blocking the torchlight.”
“Are those antennae?” Thor asked Corthos.
“The things by Jareld’s foot?”
“Yeah.”
“Nay, I think they be legs.”
“I thought the other seven things were legs,” Thor said.
“Some of them ought to be arms,” Corthos commented.
“But, if those are arms, then what’s the big thing on its back?”
“The thing with the stinger at the end?”
“Guys!” Jareld said in a very stressed whisper, “Can we discuss its anatomy after we kill it, please?”
“Aye, a right smart chap you are,” Corthos said, lifting his sword. “When I say ‘Go!’ you jump forward.”
“Is this like the plan where I run in the hole?”
“The fundamentals be the same.”
“When are you--”
“Go!”
Jareld dove forward. The creature, startled by this movement, jabbed with its stinger, but the stinger met Corthos’ blade and was lobbed off. Corthos kicked the creature onto its back exposing its softer underside, then impaled it.
Jareld lay motionless on the ground for another moment. He was curled up into a ball, his arms helmeting his head.
“Is it over?” he said, muffled, from his ball.
“Aye,” Corthos said. “Dinner be served.”
---
The three of them used their remaining flint and tinder to start a small fire. For fuel, they used the creature’s legs, which were tough and unsavory. Despite the hard shell, the inside of the beast was meaty, and the three companions enjoyed as much of a meal as they could from it.
They spent a considerable amount of the meal discussing the official rules of entomology and biological classification. Thor declared that since this was a new species, they had the right to name it. Jareld declared that it would make little difference if nobody ever knew about it. Thor insisted that as scholars at the Towers of Seneca, it was their immediate responsibility to name the thing.
“We don’t want to live through this, and recount our story to Gallar, and when we get to this part, we don’t want Gallar to say, ‘So, you ran into a new species, what did you name it?’ and for us to say, ‘Well, Master Gallar, to be honest, in all the chaos, we didn’t get a chance to name it,’ and for him to say, ‘I thought I taught you better than that,’ and for--”
“Look, if that’s the worst thing that happens to us, I mean, really, if that’s the lowest moment of our adventure, when we’re home, and warm, and safe, and full, and the worst thing that happens is--”
“Why don’t we call it Jareld?” Thor said.
Jareld lowered his eyebrows.
“You want to call this thing Jareld?”
“Not this one in particular,” Thor said. “It’s not like it’s a pet, and we’re naming it as we eat it. I mean the entire species.”
“Aye,” Corthos said, “That be a great name.”
“Then it’s settled,” Thor said, “Insectus Jareld.”
Jareld was about to respond when they heard a noise. It was a footsteppy kind of noise. Not just one set of footsteps, but a multiple footstepsy noise. The three of them rose together.
“The Turin?” Jareld said.
“Aye, methinks so.”
Corthos handed the torch to Thor. Jareld picked up a rock. He looked left, then right, then behind him.
“Which way is the sound coming from?” Jareld asked.
“I can’t tell,” Thor said.
“I can,” Corthos said. “It be coming from all around us.”
Chapter 57: A Volunteer
“I will not trust in this sorcery,” Timothy Brimford said, once he was standing outside the tent. “This is the same magic that brought us all of these problems in the first place.”
“It’s not the magic but the application that you had a problem with,” Michael argued. “This is the fastest and best way to help our cause.”
“He is Turin,” Timothy objected. “I will not follow him.”
“He has agreed to help us,” Michael said. “He has helped us along so far.”
“Of course he has,” Timothy said. “The alternative being locked up in your dungeons. What would you do, if you could offer such a gift and your enemy was as foolish as you?”
“Your Grace,” Michael said, “We must be men of the Kingdom.”
“He is not a man of the Kingdom. He is the enemy, as plain as the shade of his skin. As plain as the language on his tongue. As plain as the murder in his heart.”
“We are not all evil,” Halmir said. “We do not all think alike. I was taught to hate, and so I hated. But now that I see that, now that I can understand it, outside myself, I am choosing to try and fix the problem.”
“I understand what you say,” Timothy said. “I understand that you could be speaking the truth. But it is still, in my mind, too easy. It is still more likely that you are up to something else. Something more sinister.”
“Well, then we are at an impasse,” Michael said. “How will we proceed?”
“What if…” Vye started.
“I’m sorry, what?” Timothy said, turning to her. The others also turned.
“I was just wondering,” Vye said, “What if it wasn’t the Turin that did the magic?”
Chapter 58: Language Barrier
“Move away from the fire,” Corthos said, “It makes us easier to see.”
“Which way do we go?”
“Southeast.”
“Which was is that?”
Corthos pointed. They stepped away from the fire.
“What about the torch?” Thor said.
“The torch is almost dead,” Corthos said. “Throw it on the fire.”
“We’ll be in the dark,” Jareld objected.
“That be an understatement.”
Thor tossed the torch onto the fire, as the trio flattened themselves against the wall
. The footsteps, which began as a sort of hint, had grown into a definitive approaching sound. It was accompanied by a low murmuring sound that might be described as conspiratorial.
“What language are they speaking?” Thor whispered.
“It sounds familiar,” Jareld said.
“Not to me,” Corthos commented.
“No, I’ve definitely studied it,” Jareld said.
Within seconds, they were surrounded. Twenty men emerged from every direction, bearing swords and clubs. One of them, presumably the leader, yelled something demanding at Corthos.
“I think he wants you to drop your sword,” Jareld whispered.
“Aye, I got the impression,” Corthos said, dropping his sword.
The leader said something to his companions. They all laughed.
“I think that joke was at my expense,” Thor said.
“No,” Jareld said, “It was at mine.”
“You understood them?” Corthos said.
“Maybe,” Jareld said.
“Try to tell them that we mean them no harm,” Corthos said.
“And that we don’t think they’re ugly,” Thor added. Indeed, the twenty men who had joined the party were not the sorts you’d bring home to your parents.
“Hello,” Jareld said, in Kahlerian, a language from the continent of Khiransi, which Jareld had taken an introductory course on five years previous, before he realized nobody in the Kingdom of Rone spoke it.
Again, the group laughed, and again, it was at Jareld’s expense.
“We are guests,” Jareld said. “On trip.”
More laughter. Now there was pointing. The leader leaned in a bit, and said something very quickly in his language. Jareld could only guess what it was that he said, but he was sure that it made some reference to Jareld’s mother.
“We are friend,” Jareld continued, trying to translate quickly in his mind.
“We are not friends,” the man said. He leaned in even closer. Jareld noticed, even in the dim light, that he had an eye patch. “We are going to feed you to a friend of ours.”
“Thank you, we are hungry,” he replied.
“No, we’re not going to feed you as though you were our friend,” Eye Patch said. “We’re going to feed you to a friend.”
Jareld just smiled and nodded.
“What’s he saying?” Corthos asked.
“He’s going to have us fed to some pet of theirs,” Jareld said, maintaining a jovial facade. “Just smile and nod.”
“Alright,” said Thor, smiling and nodding, “But this doesn’t mean I like the idea.”
Chapter 59: Farsight
“What made you promise them this option?” Halmir asked of Vye when they had stepped away.
“We needed to get things moving,” Vye answered, “And you said I was powerful.”
“Yes, with training, I think you could become amongst the most powerful wizards in the continent. But the Gate Spell is not a beginner exercise. You should have thought about that before you spoke.”
“Well, they’re all watching now,” Vye said, looking over Halmir’s shoulder to the company. “Teach me quickly.”
“Fine, we will try this. But do not become frustrated or disappointed. It took me almost a month to learn the Gate.”
“Maybe you didn’t have a good enough instructor.”
Halmir gave Vye a stern look. Vye cleared her throat.
“Never mind then,” Vye said.
“Alright, first of all,” Halmir said, “Have you ever been where we’re going?”
“Yes,” Vye said. “Once. When I was twelve.”
“And that was…”
“About ten years ago.”
“Do you remember it well?”
“It was memorable, I suppose. It was my only visit to the capital.”
“Alright. Close your eyes.”
Vye did so.
“Think carefully of the location. Picture it in your mind.”
“OK, I have it.”
“Good, now recite these words:”
Halmir started chanting words in a low voice. The words tied together, forming a string of syllables that went on for almost a minute. Vye tried to keep up, but Halmir had to say it twice more before she got it right.
“I can see it,” Vye said, opening her eyes. “I can see it!”
Indeed, she could see it, whether her eyes were opened or closed. It wasn’t as clear as if she were there, but she could see the fields outside the Castle Anuen in a sort of foggy haze. And she could see people moving about, though she couldn’t make out faces clearly, and the sky seemed dark, even though it must still have been day.
“What can you see?” Halmir asked.
“I can see the Castle Anuen. It is much as I remember it, but some things have changed.”
“Then you are seeing it as it is right now. That is indeed impressive.”
“See, I’ve already done it.”
“Not at all. This is a different spell. This will allow you to pick out a place for us to go. You have yet to open a Gate.”
“Well, it’s a start.”
“Indeed it is. Now, move about within the vision.”
Instinctively, Vye started to step forward, but the vision remained unchanged. Halmir put his hands on her shoulders.
“No,” he said, “Do not move about here. Keep your feet planted. Move about in your mind.”
“How do I?”
“I can’t explain it. There are some who have never--”
“I got it.”
Vye had forced the image forward with her mind. She managed to turn the image, so that she was facing a different direction.
“OK, I got it. I’m moving.”
“Alright, now, find a place that is out of the way of people.”
Vye moved to a group of trees away from the castle walls. They were relatively secluded, and none of the people in the area seemed to be going in that direction.
“Got it.”
“Alright, now, find something in the area. Something simple. Something that is not moving.”
“There’s a tree stump here.”
“Perfect. Go to it.”
“Alright.”
“Concentrate on it. See it clearly. Focus all your thought on it. Memorize it.”
Vye focused on the tree stump. It had been chopped down recently, the surface smooth and even. She realized that as her mind looked at it longer and longer, it became clearer and clearer. The world around it seemed to fade. Only the bark of the fallen tree, the pale wood, the concentric circles of its many winters, only these things remained.
“Do you have it? Locked in your mind?” Halmir asked.
“Yes.”
“Now close your eyes. And shut the vision out. Clear your mind completely.”
Vye opened her eyes. She was nauseous. Stumbling. Her eyes were dilating, trying to process full colors and lights again.
“I’m feeling a bit... uneasy,” Vye announced, grabbing Halmir’s shoulder for stability.
“You have anchored yourself,” Halmir said. “A part of your mind is now many miles from here, with the tree stump that you chose.”
“That doesn’t sound healthy.”
“It’s not. By a long shot. I’d say you have only about six minutes to make a Gate before you pass out.”
“We should get started then,” Vye said.
Chapter 60: Injury Report
Landos woke in the infirmary. He turned his head as much as he could. It wasn’t much, but he was able to see that four other beds were occupied. All by guards.
“Nurse,” Landos said in a hoarse whisper. “Nurse.”
“Yes, Lieutenant,” said the nearest nurse.
“How bad is it?” he asked.
“Oh, well…” she murmured.
“Don’t hesitate. Tell me the worst.”
“You’ll be up on your feet,” she said, cheerily, “In about a month.”
“How many…”
“Sir Calvin is o
n his way down,” she said. “Perhaps he can tell you the details.”
“How many did we lose?”
“I didn’t count,” she said. “Many. Master Gabriel...”
One of the guards coughed, hacking up a lung. She ran to his side as Sir Calvin entered the infirmary.
“Where were you during all of this?” Landos asked.
“It was my turn to lead the watch on the North Tower,” he said. “By the time I made it down to the castle, it was over.”
“How many…”
“Landos, Gabriel is dead. Another thirty-three guards are also dead. Four more are here with you, but it doesn’t look good for them.”
“And for me?”
“The physicians have assured me that you’ll live, albeit you’ll be lame for several weeks.”
“Why didn’t he kill me?”
“I don’t know,” Calvin said. He knew Landos had one more question, but he waited. He was going to make him ask it.
“What about Sarah?” he said.
“She’s…missing,” Calvin said.
“Missing? Where did she go?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not…”
“This castle has one hundred, fifty guards. Thirty-seven of them are now dead or dying as a result of this attack. That’s not counting the forty we lost two days ago on the march. I don’t know which gate he left through. Too many guards are dead, and nobody saw anything.”
Landos sighed. He wanted to get up and work, but he felt weary. He felt defeated. The thought of Sarah in the hands of that monstrosity was unbearable.
“It’s alright,” Landos said, “I doubt he left through any of the castle gates.”
“What do you want me to do?” Calvin asked.
“Continue raising the army,” Landos said. “Have someone report to me in a few hours. I’m going to sleep.”
Calvin nodded and left. But Landos did not sleep. Not easily. Not until all the weariness and hurt of his body yelled against him. But until it did, he lay awake, vowing in his mind, over and over, that he would bring Sarah back from the evil that had taken her.
Chapter 61: The Gate
“You’re not concentrating!” Halmir said.
“That’s only because you keep yelling at me!” Vye retorted.
Within the Hollow Crown Page 19
