Knowing that they were going to head toward the mountain by following the coastline, Tao pointed to the distant forest. “That works for me.”
Without another word, two of the animated goblins moved forward, lifted the struggling form of Tariq and moved off into the night.
Tao said, “Gather the rest of the dead and mound them high.”
“Why?” asked Pixi.
Tao nodded towards the fallen paladin. “His soul deserves the company of the dead on his way to the afterlife.”
Understanding what the samurai had planned, the rest of the companions began the tedious work of moving the dead bodies. The magical powers of Arieal and Cozad proved immeasurable during this task. They were both able to animate the dead bodies, although it did eat up a great portion of their energy. Within an hour, the dead were piled high and Roland was laid to rest at their apex.
Everyone was filthy, sore and tired but no one suggested camping for the night.
Hoisting his pack over one shoulder, Tao looked at the still form of Roland then back to his friends. “I’m unsure of why we’re here. I don’t know if Steve’s death on this side sent him back home and he’s sitting at his computer sucking down a beer. That’s my hope but I fear that isn’t the truth. I truly believe that death on this side is permanent.”
Tao paused and looked off into the distance where a pale yellow moon was just rising over the water. “I don’t know if we will stumble into Atlantis tomorrow or the next day or next year but I know that we’ll never stop searching for a way home. And if we stay true to our beliefs and our own personal honor, then we will survive this reality.” Turning back to the body of his friend, Tao’s eyes were full of tears. “Pixi…burn it.”
With a silent nod, she cast her wall of fire spell once more and the mound of bodies roared into flames. Without looking back, Tao turned toward the lake and began walking. One by one the companions fell in behind leaving Roland Darkslayer’s pyre to burn deep into the night.
* * * * *
Grigoris grinned when he heard Taote Ching speak these words.
He’d been saddened when Tariq al’Nasir al’Rafiq had succumbed to the temptations of Chaos and had felt his hopes shatter when the companions began to argue about executing him. However, when Moira and Taote stepped forward to defend the assassin, his hopes in humanity were once again restored. He didn’t want to get too overconfident or hopeful, the companions still had a long quest ahead of them and his sibling was tenacious.
Chapter 6
Even though the rising of a second red moon was spectacularly beautiful, it was tempered with sadness and tears. The companions had reached the lake and turned toward the distant mountain with slow determination. Each member wrestled with the cold logic that one of their members was dead. After about an hour, Tao called a break. Finding some rocks to use as a windbreak, the companions settled down. The funeral pyre of their friend could still be seen burning in the distance.
Finally, Cozad broke the silence. “Tao…what did Roland do back home?”
“I’m not sure. He never really talked too much about his day-to-day job. I know he’d spent some time in prison for a DUI. When he was just a teenager, he got drunk one night and tried to drive home. He didn’t make it. He ran a stop sign, struck a cab and the passenger died. He always said that was his greatest regret.”
“He was a struggling artist,” Pixi added quietly. Everyone looked up and waited for her to continue. “He was a painter, nothing major. He actually painted houses for a living but was working on his portfolio.”
“How do you know that?” Moira asked.
Pixi shrugged and fluttered her wings. “One day I mentioned in guild chat about an art project I had coming up for school. Steve gave me several pointers on how to make better use of shading and blending.” She smiled slightly as she added, “I got an A on that project thanks to him.”
Bjǿrn said, “He will be missed.”
Cozad stared off to the distance, looking past the burning pyre still visible. “Tariq better not take our mercy as weakness. I’ll kill him the next time I see him.” The glow of the Dreadknight’s eyes changed from the blue of calm to the red of anger as he looked back at the group. “And you will not be able to stop me Tao.”
“If he crosses paths with us again, it would be by design not by accident. I won’t try to stop you.” Tao grinned slightly as he added, “Of course…your blade will have to be quicker than mine on that day.”
Feeling uncomfortable with the subject, Moira cleared her throat. “Where are we going?”
Tao pointed down the coastline toward the distant mountain. “If history back home is any sort of a teacher, we should find a village that way.”
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed but it was Mathias who finally asked, “Why?”
“Historically speaking, cities and towns were built near waterways, the mouth of a river being the most common since the soil nearest the mouth of a river is typically very fertile. In addition, the city could reap the reward of tariffs for traffic flowing up and down the river and create a port for larger ships which would navigate the lake..”
Pixi asked, “Lake? How can you be sure that’s a lake and not a sea or ocean?”
Tao shrugged. “I can’t. I don’t smell any salt in the breeze but in this realm that might not mean anything. Either way, my best suggestion is to follow the coastline until we find some sort of village. We need information about this land and we aren’t going to find it sitting out here in the wilderness.”
Mathias asked, “And you think we will find help in the town?”
“Alright listen up.” Tao paused until everyone looked at him. “I miss Roland and I will probably always replay the events which lead up to his death to see if I could’ve done something different to change the outcome. But I can’t change it, I can only learn from it. The fact remains that we’re here and we’re alive. Now we have to figure out how to stay alive and if possible, get back home.”
Bjǿrn stood up. “Tao’s right. At this very moment I regret letting Tariq live but that’s because I’m still angry. I know it was the right thing to do and if we had let Cozad kill him, then that would’ve been murder and we wouldn’t have been any better than Tariq. Personally, I know I would feel guilty about that for the rest of my life.”
Cozad nodded. “No. Tao was right to stop me. As much as I wanted to kill him and still want to kill him, it would’ve been murder. Plain and simple. Besides, we don’t know if it was Brandon or Tariq who killed Roland.”
Pixi fluttered her wings and hovered for a second before asking. “What do you mean by that?”
It was Arieal who answered. “He means that there is a second persona lurking in each of our heads that threatens to take over.” Seeing the Dreadknight nod, she continued. “Each of us have the powers and abilities our avatars had in the game, right?”
“Correct.”
“Well, Brandon, Edward and I chose to play avatars of Chaos to explore the darker side of our nature. Back home, it was just a harmless fantasy, but now…”
Cozad nodded. “Aye. The cold fingers of death are now a part of me. I feel comforted by its embrace.”
Arieal glanced back at the burning pyre in the distance. “I too feel that. The stench of death smells as sweet as a rose to me now. It is very unnerving.”
“I can imagine. I feel my temper on the edge at all times. Just the simplest things threaten to set me off.” Bjǿrn nodded toward the faerie. “Hell, the flapping of Pixi’s wings is nerve wracking.”
Pixi settled to the ground and took a small step back from the huge Norseman.
Moira giggled. “Don’t worry Pixi. Earl is a gentle giant, here and back home. His bark is worse than his bite.” When she smiled, her bright blue eyes seemed to light up the whole gathering. “Besides if he misbehaves, I’ll punish him.”
Everyone laughed. The thought of Moira, a slender elf weighing less than eighty pounds, punishing the seven foot tall, t
hree-hundred plus pound, bare-chested warrior was ludicrous. Of course, back in the real world they had been married for thirty plus years and Earl had learned the magic phrase long ago and used it now.
“Yes dear.”
Tao took the moment of levity to stand up. “Everyone should try to get some sleep. It’s been a long day and we can’t be sure of what tomorrow holds for us. I’ll take the first watch. Cozad, I’ll wake you in two hours.”
Seeing the logic of Tao’s plan, everyone did their best to find a place to lie down out of the wind. The samurai moved off a few steps to be alone with his thoughts and watch over his friends that were still alive. Unfortunately, the death of Steve brought to surface the loss of his wife once more and soon afterwards the tears began to flow.
* * * * *
Callistra reigned in her Nightmare, a demonic horse with fiery eyes and hooves which she had summoned to be her steed. The smell of burning flesh had called to her. Mounting her steed, she had ridden from her cabin to the southeast to investigate the burning pyre. Now that she was here, other aromatic senses called to her soul.
Magic, mighty magic had been cast on this spot.
Climbing down to investigate the area further, Callistra closed her eyes and used her magic to read the remnants of whatever enchantments had been cast on this spot. The vampyre part of her thirsted for the blood that was spilled here. It had been weeks since she last fed and the hunger was becoming unbearable again. Calming herself, she fell into the trance needed to ‘see’ the battle. In her mind’s eye, she watched the ten companions arrive.
It wasn’t as clear a picture as those she enjoyed in the past but it was still entertainment. As she watched the battle unfold something in the mannerisms and appearances of some of the companions tugged at her memories but were quickly forgotten when she witnessed the treachery of Tariq. As the companions began arguing, it was times like this when she really missed having sound. Callistra was shocked when the nine companions didn’t kill the assassin but let him live.
Weak fools.
However, the trussed up assassin would make for an easy meal. Letting the spell drop, Callistra remounted her steed and turned toward the distant forest. With luck, she would be able to overtake the bound assassin before sunrise, not that she couldn’t be out in the sunlight. It was just so damn bright that she preferred the darkness. Either way, she knew she would soon sate her thirst once more.
* * * * *
Chester called out to his older brother. “Sanford, wait up.”
As always, Sanford slowed down but chided his younger brother. “Chester, why are you always lagging behind? You know we have to gather the mistletoe before the second moon sets.”
“I know. I know. Mother will be very displeased if we don’t bring back two full baskets but why do you always rush? We’re out of the house and the weather is nice tonight.”
Sanford stopped and turned to face his little brother. Closing the hood on the lantern, he plunged the surrounding woods into semi-darkness. “Because we need to be quick or else the Wood Witch will get us.”
Chester’s face went pale and his eyes widened. “The Wood Witch? She’s real?”
“Of course.” Sanford struggled to keep the smirk off his face as he added, “However, since this is Wotan’s Day, she should be far to the south.” Pausing to look around conspiratorially, he added. “But she still could be on the lookout for fresh meat.”
When an owl hooted nearby, Chester clutched the sickle he was carrying tighter to his chest and looked around wildly. The fear on his younger brother’s face was more than Sanford could stand. Bursting into laughter, he bent over holding his stomach. Realizing that his brother had played a trick on him again, Chester dropped the sickle and leapt on Sanford’s back. Momentarily stunned by his brother’s wild attack, the two fell to the ground and began wrestling.
Mere seconds into the fight, the cracking and breaking of branches reached their ears.
Forgotten was their argument. Rolling clear, both boys pulled out their daggers and prepared to defend themselves from whatever was plundering through the thick underbrush of the forest. It was only a few minutes before they saw two goblins in the bright moonlight carrying a struggling form wrapped up in some sort of black bands. Neither brother had to ask what to do. Goblins were to be killed on sight. Period. No questions asked and no exceptions. Having lived their whole life under the threat of goblin attacks, the brothers knew how to deal with them and moments later, the two goblin zombies were dead once again.
Sanford moved over to the struggling form of Tariq and poked him with his dagger. “Chester. Get the lantern. I’m not sure what this is but we need more light.”
“Gotcha,” was all he said and ran off to gather their things.
Sanford knelt down to study the trussed up assassin as best he could in the pale moonlight while he waited. Minutes passed. “Dammit Chester! Where are you?”
A slight rustle of the leaves behind him heralded the soft voice. “He is dead youngling.”
Sanford spun around but was dumbfounded at the vision before him.
Dressed in a skin-tight black leather outfit which left very little to the imagination was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his entire life. She had perfect alabaster skin, long silky ebony hair, crystal blue eyes and a body any man would kill to bed. Only the blood dripping from her fangs marred the beauty of the creature.
The dagger fell from Sanford’s hand forgotten as he succumbed to her enchantment. He raised his chin and opened his arms to embrace the vision standing before him. He didn’t even struggle as he felt his life’s blood sucked from his body. His last thoughts were of all the carnal things he wanted to do to the creature which killed him.
Sated, Callistra gazed down at the bound form of Tariq and asked, “And what do we have here?” Leaning down she sniffed the whole of his body. “A creature from the seas of sand by your smell and bound by dwarven magic, interesting.”
The vampyress ran her hands over the assassin’s body and could feel the different bulges where his weapons were secreted. When her hand grazed over the enchanted dagger he’d received from Al Shaytan there was a spark of magic and she drew her hand back quickly more in surprise than in pain. Carefully, she dug past the magical bands to get at the silver hilt of the dagger. Seeing the ruby pommel and the downward pointing pentagram, she withdrew her hand slowly and studied the bound Arabian once more. Her eyes flashed with anger.
“Assassin, you and I must talk. But first, I must contact Kastle.”
Pulling out a crudely fashioned wand, she waved it once over the struggling assassin and he began floating gently into the air. Callistra whistled once and the Nightmare moved closer. Muttering a few words in a language that Tariq didn’t understand, the assassin felt himself draped over the saddle and securely fastened.
With another wave of her wand, she transformed into a huge bat and flew off into the night.
As the demon horse began moving south, Tariq stared down at the passing ground and thought, ‘What else could go wrong today?’
Chapter 7
Sunrise found the companions still asleep in the rocks. Tao hadn’t awakened a replacement for the night watch once he discovered how calming meditation was in this reality. He had moved away from the rest of the party and had settled down in the lotus position, with ankles folded up onto his inner thighs and entered the trance of the Sensei. It was enlightening. He was aware of everything around him from the ants in the ground to the owls hunting the night sky. With the first hints of the morning sun, Tao had come out of his trance, stood up and felt more refreshed than any other time of his life.
Gazing out at the lake, Tao could just make out the distant shapes of several boats. Probably the fishing fleet from the village he hoped to find nearby. Moving over to Gamble, he tapped the dwarf on his foot.
The skald was instantly awake. “Morning.”
Tao looked toward the north where a small plume of smoke signaled the
remains of his friend’s pyre and said, “Wake everyone. We’ll be moving soon.”
Gamble watched as his oldest friend wandered off towards the lake. They had been best friends over thirty years and he knew what was bothering the samurai. The Marvin mind-set realized that Mac was still haunted by the men he lost during Desert Storm. Now, Steve’s death would have dredged up those memories in addition to the fresh wounds of Cassie’s loss only four months ago.
Then, there was the fact that they were heading into unknown territory without any information on the region or culture and it was his friend’s responsibility to keep everyone safe. Whether it was the truth or not, didn’t matter. It was how Mac viewed the situation. Marvin’s problem was how could he best help his friend?
Ever practical, both on the other side and in game, Gamble just shrugged his shoulders and buried his problem for the moment and turned to the task of waking everyone up. Cozad was the easiest to awaken, since his eyes flew open at the dwarf’s approach. However, Pixi was the hardest. It seems that fairies have the natural tendency to turn invisible when sleeping, mix that with her ability to shrink down to about six inches tall and you have a very hard companion to find. The dwarf only found her when he tripped over her.
Breakfast for the companions was a mixture of dried fruits and travel biscuits, not the most tasty fare but edible and nourishing. Everyone seemed to want to keep the morning conversation light and about unimportant subjects. Finally Mathias said, “Something has been bothering me.”
Arieal was the first to respond. “What?”
“Time.”
Moira asked, “Time? What about time?”
“If this is the game and we are governed by the rules of the game, wouldn’t time also be affected?”
“How so?” asked Arieal.
“It has probably been eight to twelve hours since we came across, right?”
Bjǿrn looked up at the twin suns just starting their race across the sky. “Yes. That would be a good estimate.”
“So, how much time has passed back home?”
Lost Lands: The Game - Atlantis Page 5
