by F. P. Spirit
He pulled the oversized hood up over his head and let it drop over his face. “How’s that?”
Kalyn giggled with glee. “It’s the halfling without a face!”
Her expression abruptly turned serious, her hand going to her chin and she appraised his makeshift outfit. “Well, as long as you can see your feet and don’t trip, I guess it’ll work.”
The young woman then pulled her hood up as well, and tucked her hands into her long sleeves. “So, how do I look?”
Seth pushed his hood back a little, watching as she turned a circle. “Looks like you’re a Serpent Cult choir member.”
Kalyn knit her brows together as she eyed him sharply. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Seth cocked his head to one side and shrugged. “You look fine. Let’s go.”
The duo moved out to the road, walking side-by-side as they headed toward the town.
“Remember to act natural, but keep your head down. We don’t want any attention.” Seth cautioned softly.
“Right.” Kalyn nodded. A moment later, a frown crossed her brow. “What does ‘natural’ look like?”
Seth shook his head slowly and murmured under his breath. “Oh gods, what have I gotten myself into now?”
“Oh boy. I’ve made one of the Heroes of Ravenford resort to prayer.” Kalyn held back a nervous giggle.
“Would you just shut up and try to blend in?”
Kalyn was too nervous to argue, so she tucked her quivering hands into her sleeves, crossed her arms, and focused on keeping in step with Seth.
Kalyn’s anxiety grew as the town came into sight and steadily drew closer. As they passed by the fields, she couldn’t help but turn her head and look once more at the people. Her stomach jumped into her throat when she recognized three men from Deepwood. One of them had only been missing a week or so, and was a soon-to-be first time father.
As Kalyn stared, she noticed that all the people dressed in white robes had blank expressions and vacant eyes.
“What have they done to them?” she whispered in horror.
Seth hissed, reminding her to quit staring and keep her mouth shut, even though her gut rattled around like it was full of snakes.
Kalyn kept close to the halfling and followed his lead into town. She did her best to appear unassuming, especially as they passed by several black-cloaked figures and walked through the center of town. A group of white-robed, blank-eyed slaves were working around the fountain, trying to repair a large fallen statue of a snake.
Kalyn peered at the spectacle with keen curiosity. I wonder who broke it?
The young archer risked a quick glance around and noticed several pairs of black-cloaked figures going to and fro from the large stone buildings surrounding the fountain. That was when she noticed how grand the stone buildings appeared. In fact, they were so magnificent that she couldn’t help but stare at them. They were some of the largest buildings she’d ever seen, with tall, beautifully carved pillars and wide sweeping steps leading up to their doors.
“Wow. Nice rock houses,” she whispered.
“Looks dwarvish to me,” Seth remarked softly.
Kalyn glanced at the buildings again.
So, that’s what Dwarf houses look like? I want one. Wonder where I could hire a Dwarf to build me one? I’ll have to ask Seth later where I can find me a Dwarf. I’ll also have to ask him what halfling houses look like. Or do they live in holes?
Seth’s voice shook her from her thoughts. “Looks like a temple.”
She glanced at him, then peered at one of the larger buildings. It had a domed top, and a giant bronze symbol of a serpent hung in the archway of the oversized door. A slight shiver passed up her spine. Whatever god they worshiped there, she was sure she never wanted to meet it.
Kalyn followed Seth as he crossed over to the northern road and left the town behind. As soon as they passed the last building, she spoke up. “What are we doing?”
“I want to get a better look at that cave.”
“Okay… but wouldn’t that be considered a risk? Remember, Fran didn’t want us to take any risks.”
Seth kept his eyes forward, his tone rather sharp as he responded. “Fran ain’t here, and I don’t take orders from her anyway.”
Kalyn raised an eyebrow, but just nodded. “Well, she did say we were to find out what everyone was up against, and we can’t find that out unless we see what’s going on in the cave, too.”
“Not ‘we.’ Me,” Seth responded. “I’m going into the cave to have a look around. You’re going to sit outside of the cave, out of sight, and watch my back.”
A frown crossed Kalyn’s brow. “Now, hold on just a second! I can do that better if…”
“There might be snakes in the cave. Really big ones.”
“…and I’m gonna find someplace to hide outside of the cave and watch your back from out there.” Kalyn softly cleared her throat. She could practically hear Seth grinning from underneath his oversized hood.
Silence fell between them as the cave came into view. As they grew closer, she saw that the entrance was guarded by several black-robed figures. People dressed in white slowly filtered out of the cave, carrying baskets full of rocks, which they dumped into a pile alongside of the road before turning and walking dumbly back into the cave.
The guards were mostly interested in watching the slaves work, seeming unconcerned with the few other black-cloaked figures that came and went.
“This might just work,” Kalyn whispered as she watched the guards wave several dark cloaked figures back into the cave. She bit her tongue, though, when a guard stopped one of them, checking his face under his hood. “Nope. Never mind. Abort. Abort.”
Seth hissed at her again. “Shut up and follow me.”
The halfling veered off the road without missing a beat, Kalyn quickly following him. They skirted around several large piles of rock and rubble, then climbed up a small embankment until they reached a small grove of trees. Kalyn finally relaxed as she moved behind one of the trees, concealing herself in its shadow.
“How are you going to get in there?” She looked down at Seth and watched as he shrugged off his black cloak, then straightened another cloak that she recognized from the stories she’d heard about the Heroes. He said a strange word that she didn’t recognize, and then vanished from sight.
“Stay here, be quiet, and keep an eye out. I’ll be right back,” Seth’s disembodied voice said.
Kalyn nodded and watched as a few leaves moved just the tiniest bit, the faintest of impressions left behind in the earth by tiny boots. “Yeah, sure thing, but you better be quick, or I’m coming in after you, snakes or no.”
She watched with growing anxiety as the faint footprints moved away toward the cave.
Sneaking into the cave was easier than Seth thought. The black-robed guards appeared more concerned with the dopey-eyed slaves than the possibility of an invisible person walking right past them.
The inside the cave was well-lit, with torches placed periodically on the wall. The floor angled slightly downward for about three hundred feet, then leveled off, just before Seth came to a split in the path. Three tunnels branched off the main cavern, one leading right, one turning left, and the last pushing straight forward.
Screams and wails drifted from the left branch, so Seth turned down there first. He didn’t have to walk far before coming across a tall portcullis. It stretched across the length of the tunnel, blocking any further progress. Behind the portcullis was a small cavern.
In the middle of the cavern stood a post with someone chained to it. The person screamed and writhed as a figure dressed in a black-hooded robe held large, dark snakes up to him. The creatures wrapped themselves around the victim and squeezed, or sank long double rows of teeth into his flesh. The dark-clo
aked figure laughed as the man screamed and pleaded for mercy.
Seth gagged in revulsion. That’s just sick. I’d love to put a dagger to that guy’s throat.
Seth had to look away before he threw up. Peering around the room, he saw there were four cages, two on either side of the cave. Inside one of them was a group of humans, but the other three held strange, grotesque, half-snake beings. Some had human bodies and snake heads, and others had snake bodies and heads with human torsos. They beat against the bars of their cages, their hisses echoing in time with the tortured man’s screams of agony.
Seth suppressed a shudder. What they were doing in there was sick and twisted. If Lloyd was here, he’d have that portcullis open in a second.
Seth would take great pleasure rushing in and ending the life of that demented tormentor. Better yet, Glo could just fireball the entire cavern… after we rescue the few humans left, he quickly amended.
Thoroughly disgusted, Seth made a mental promise to come back here and end this twisted game. The halfling then spun around and made his way back to the main cavern as swiftly as possible. At the tunnel crossroads, he saw a man dressed in a black robe leading two white-robed slaves down the right tunnel. The slaves were carried an ornate chest that appeared quite heavy.
Seth quietly fell in behind the trio, following them from a safe distance. The tunnel ended at a thick iron door. A pair of guards dressed in black leathers stood on either side. The dark-robed figure motioned to them, and one of the guards produced a key, unlocking the door. He pushed it open, allowing the slaves and their overseer to pass through. Seth got just close enough to peer through the doorway. The room was filled with numerous chests and racks of weapons.
Armory. Possibly a treasury. Maybe both.
With that thought, Seth spun around and headed back to the crossroads. Once there, he turned down the center tunnel. Seth followed it for a short way until it suddenly opened into a fair-sized octagonal room.
Unlike the rest of the caves and tunnels he had seen down here, the walls, floor, and ceiling of this room were all made of smooth, carved stone blocks. Those blocks were finely polished, the flickering light of multiple wall torches glimmering off the shiny stone. Directly across from him stood a wide pair of ornate double doors, with the symbols of a serpent carved into the framework. Both doors hung open at the moment, but guarding the entrance on either side were two large, evil-looking snake statues.
The invisible halfling froze in his tracks. I bet those are magical.
Seth slowly crept forward across the polished stone, but came to an abrupt halt when the statues’ red jeweled eyes began to glow.
Yep. Magic.
Seth took a step back—there was no way he was getting past those statue sentries. He stayed where he was, and peered into the room ahead. From this angle, it appeared to be a similar chamber to the one he was in, but far larger. At the far end of the room stood what appeared to be a huge altar, though it was partially buried under rock and rubble. White-robed slaves scurried around, scooping up chucks of rubble into baskets. A couple of black-garbed overseers stood nearby, whips in hand.
So, that’s where they’re moving all the rock from. I’ll bet this altar was buried during that ancient battle Fran told us about.
Seth moved to the side and pressed himself against the wall as a few of the blank-eyed slaves filed out from the room, carrying baskets full of rocks. As they passed by, Seth peered back into the room, and froze in shock at what he saw.
Just around the corner of those open doors stood a creature that sent chills up his spine. It appeared to be a giant snake, perhaps as large as the one the Boulder killed, but as Seth’s eyes scanned up its powerful dark red and blue coils, he got a glimpse past the creature’s hooded head. What he saw was not the face of a snake, but rather that of a man, its expression dark and serious. The creature’s muscles rippled as it drew in its sinewy coils, leaned back and gazed down at the floor. The end of its great tail twitched gently back and forth, as if it were deep in thought.
Tearing his eyes away from the strange creature, Seth saw a man standing beside it, dwarfed by the huge man-snake’s impressive size. The man was dressed in fine black robes, trimmed in red, but what drew Seth’s attention was his bald, uncovered head. The entire left side of the man’s face was covered by an ominous grinning skull tattoo.
That must be the dark mage Kalyn mentioned. When she said he had an unforgettable face, she wasn’t kidding.
Seth mentally snickered to himself. Though she forgot to mention how ugly he is.
Seth’s attention was then drawn to the air beyond the man and snake creature. There was a purple, glowing hole floating in the air before them. A portal!
The pair appeared to be speaking to a dark figure on the other side of the portal. Seth shifted his position to see if he could get a glimpse of who, or what, they were talking to. Abruptly, the figure’s face came into view. Perhaps it was a distortion of the portal, but if it wasn’t, he was staring at the face of a giant, beautiful woman.
The woman had pale, porcelain skin, framed by long, raven-black hair. Her nose was thin and she had extremely high cheekbones and blood-red lips. Her blackish eyes shifted between the man and the snake creature, and as she spoke, Seth could see two sharp fangs hanging from her top jaw.
Even though Seth couldn’t hear what she was saying, he could tell that she had a fierce demeanor, and positively radiated power—a lot of power.
Seth suppressed a cold shiver. That’s the woman from the black gem!
A vision of their battle with the Barghest in the Darkwoods flashed through Seth’s mind. Afterwards, he had retrieved a black gem from the creature. Later, when Glo examined the gem, his mind had almost been taken over by a powerful dark sorceress. The face Seth now stared at looked remarkably like the one Glo had described.
I’ve seen enough.
The halfling spun around, and without a glance backward, quietly hurried back up the tunnel. Seth paused when he came to the mouth of the cave and peered around, making sure his path back to Kalyn was clear. Just as he exited the cave mouth, a flash of movement caught his eye.
Up where he had left Kalyn, a figure wearing an oversized black cloak darted out from behind a pile of rubble. It grabbed a passing female figure dressed in white, wrapped a long sleeve around her mouth, and jerked the girl back behind the rubble without a sound.
Seth halted in his tracks, and firmly set his jaw. I’m gonna kill her!
The halfling swiftly glanced around in a circle, making sure that no one else saw what just happened. Thankfully, no one did, apparently all of them too preoccupied with their work.
Seth quickly moved around the mountains of rubble and rocks and climbed up the embankment to the trees. He watched Kalyn drag the thrashing slave into the shadow of a grove and practically disappear, the slave still struggling the entire time.
Seth took after the pair in a hurry. I am SO going to kill her.
Parting of Ways
Do we look stupid enough to get on a ship with someone who just tried to kill us?
Rukastanna ta Yatharia Greymantle watched in horror as the tall monolith began to crack and crumble, the boom of cannon fire ringing in her ears. Less than an hour had passed since she first observed the large airship slowly floating in from the south. She had continued to study the vessel carefully as it drew up next to the great structure, yet the ship had just hovered there, doing nothing for the last half hour.
Maya had been fascinated by the flying vessel at first. She sat next to her older sister on a high limb of one of the tallest trees in the nearby forest, chatting away as the vessel approached.
“Oh, that’s so pretty…”
Ruka had merely nodded her head.
“Look at the big blue ring!”
“Uh huh…” Ruka had responded,
not really paying attention, her eyes fixed on the airship.
“I wonder what it’s made of…”
Ruka just shrugged, the dragon teen narrowing her eyes for a better look at the deck of the vessel. It was frustrating—in dragon form, her vision would have been ten times sharper, but then she would be far easier to spot.
“…and how does that thing stay in the air without wings?”
“I don’t know,” Ruka responded tersely. There were things moving around on the deck of that ship—large things of not-so-friendly colors.
“Maybe we should fly over there and see…”
“No!” came the immediate response from both Ruka and Cal on the forest floor below.
Ruka shifted her gaze toward her little sister just in time to see the pout forming on her lips. Maya’s face screwed up into a ball as she folded her tiny arms across her chest. “Humph. You two are no fun! Ves would let me go and see it.”
Ruka fixed her little sister with a hard stare. “You know very well that Ves would not let you do that. In fact, she probably wouldn’t even let you sit up here in this tree.”
Maya glared back at her older sister for a few moments, her cherub face still pouty, then turned her head away, and leapt off the tall branch they were sitting on.
“It’s no fair!” her voice trailed off as she fell toward the forest floor some hundred feet below.
Ruka watched her fall with little concern, not batting an eye as her youngest sister landed on the ground like a cat. She stood up, dusted off her cute little dress, and stormed off into the dark forest.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Cal called back up, the copper dragon disappearing with surprising grace and speed after his youngest charge. The two young squires, Syndir and Lamorn, sat at the base of a nearby tree, watching the entire exchange wide-eyed.
