“I’m sorry,” the telepath responds. Turning left, she stops with her foot over the water and has to hop over a small gap. “Watch out or you will fall in. I’m pretty sure we can swim, but we shouldn’t take risks. I would appreciate it if you speak your mind, Luke. There is obviously something worrying you. Now is not the time to keep secrets.”
“Just a bad feeling,” the forest tracker mutters. Averting his gaze from his friends, he watches a crane walk through the shallows of a nearby island. “Not anything I can put my finger on right now. I guess the fact that we needed a powerful caster and a deflector weapon to get through the entrance has me confused. The former isn’t too surprising, but what are the chances of every generation of champions having the latter. Seems like it was suited too perfectly to what we have.”
With a smile, Sari reaches out to remove a leech from Luke’s neck. “There might have been another way out, but that’s what we came up with. Don’t start seeing signs and traps at every turn. You might jump at the wrong shadow or miss the real danger. Besides, if there really is a problem here then you’re more likely to notice if you relax. So just be brave and alert, hero, because that’s when you’re at your best.”
Luke forces himself to smirk, which disappears the moment his friends turn back to the path ahead. The half-elf kicks at a rock that turns out to be a crab, the animal catching his boot and clambering up his leg. Not wanting to hurt the creature, he carefully reaches down to remove it from his clothes. The pincers try to grab the half-elf’s fingers, but the crab is too slow to get anything more than a momentary pinch. Bending down at the edge of the path, Luke places the crustacean in the water and pauses at the sight of an orange blob. Unnoticed by the others, he watches more of them appear and pulsate as they get closer to the surface. Drawing his sabers and turning to check both sides, the half-elf refuses to move and keeps his blades ready at his sides. When his friends stop to talk to him, Luke hisses for silence and nudges his head at the thick swarm that is surrounding them.
Instead of exploding out of the swamp like the warrior expects, the orange blobs rise to reveal that they are large jellyfish. They remain bobbing on the surface while their stinging tentacles whip out of the dark water. Numbing pain rips through Luke’s veins, the creatures focusing entirely on the forest tracker. He can feel his skin begin to dry out as the jellyfish absorb the salt and water from his body. Spinning around, the half-elf manages to free himself from most of the tentacles, but he is already too weak to continue fighting. By the time Nyx launches her fire attack to burn several of their attackers, Luke’s vision is blurring and he tumbles into the water.
“I’ve got him!” Delvin shouts, diving into the swamp before Sari can move.
The former mercenary’s chainmail helps him sink quickly, its enchantment allowing him to breathe underwater. He is unnerved by the sight of thousands of jellyfish, which are rising to fight the other champions. A few catch Delvin in their tentacles, but he uses his potent aura to send a backlash that stuns the creatures. More of them drift toward the submerged warriors, but pay more attention to their defenseless brethren. Hungry and cannibalistic, the newcomers connect to the head of the unconscious jellyfish and steadily devour them. With violent shudders, the victorious predators bloat to twice their size and swim lower in an attempt to greet the champions as they sink. Unable to see through the murky water and tightly packed animals, Delvin searches for the faint spark of Luke’s aura.
He mutters a curse when he notices that his friend is above him and being held by three large jellyfish. Praying he is not too late, Delvin swims to the half-elf and stabs the nearest creature through what he thinks is the brain. The attack does not slow the predator down, so the warrior delivers a charge of magic to burst it like a balloon. Grabbing Luke’s wrist, he feels a dwindling pulse that is getting weaker by the second. Quickly popping the remaining jellyfish in rapid succession, Delvin starts swimming to the surface and tries to alter the saltwater so that it replenishes the half-elf’s body.
As the forest tracker’s eyes open, a jet of water catches the two warriors and rockets them toward the path. They assume it is Sari, so it is a surprise when they are sent hurtling into the sky above the swamp. Too weak to transform, Luke can only keep a tight hold of Delvin’s arm and try to access the griffin’s control over wind. Being high above the ground, they can see their friends holding their own against the jellyfish. Fizzle is darting through the swarm while trying to put them to sleep, but his rainbow breath is ineffective. The only ones that are having the most success are Nyx and Sari with their blasts of elemental magic. Many times the two women attack the same target, causing a small explosion due to the opposing energies. As they fall towards the swamp, another geyser erupts to engulf Luke and Delvin, sending them back into the air. The pair can barely tell up from down, so they close their eyes to avoid vertigo and try to get their bearings.
A loud sucking sound unnerves the falling champions, causing them to stare down at the beginnings of a powerful whirlpool. The less stable mangroves tumble into the churning water, which is dragging the jellyfish into its depths. From their vantage point, the warriors can see the orange blobs are getting carried in various directions like they have been pulled in a network of tunnels. With a loud groan, the path buckles beneath the champions’ feet and they struggle to remain standing. Luke and Delvin take some relief from seeing their friends clinging together, Sari’s immovability making certain they will stay together. Timoran is stretching toward the plummeting warriors, his fingers touching the updraft that has been slowing their fall. With the barbarian unable to reach them, Nyx does the next best thing and lassos the pair with a magical tether.
“Still think something is wrong with this temple?” Delvin asks as they watch the ground collapse beneath their friends. The glowing cord between them and Nyx becomes taut, but they are unable to haul their friends out of the swamp. “Stop fighting it, Luke. We fall in together and see where it takes us. Last thing we want is to get separated.”
Instead of listening to his friend, Luke tries to access more of the griffin’s powers and create a bigger windstorm. Unused to using the ability to its full potential while in his true form, he finds himself doing nothing more than shaking himself and Delvin around like a kite. A sudden pain tears through his mind, driving all of the spirits into his subconscious and making his nose gush blood. The last thing he can do is manipulate the wind to put their weapons into their scabbards, the thought of losing his sabers oddly more terrifying than death. With nothing keeping the warriors afloat, all of the champions are yanked into the whirlpool where they disappear among the foam.
*****
Sari panics when she is ejected from the water and only has Fizzle in her arms, the two adventurers landing in a patch of mud. The gypsy finds herself on a large island that has been created from dirt collecting on a tightly packed group of mangroves. Afraid that she has lost her friends, the muck-covered woman scrambles to her feet and prepares to dive back into the swamp. Fizzle silently taps her nose with his tail and points at a collection of bubbles, which is getting smaller. Plunging her hand into the water, Sari coaxes the currents to gently place the others on the shore. Rushing from one to another, she puts a hand over their mouths to draw the liquid from their lungs. Within minutes, most of the champions are awake and becoming aware of a curious warbling.
Weapons drawn and nerves on edge, the adventurers move toward the noise and push through the first row of trees. They are stopped by a dense herd of four-legged animals that are contently munching on leaves and swamp grass. Resembling cows, the creatures are covered in shaggy, brown hair that rustles with every movement. These warm coats connect entirely to their backs and rise to fan out when the animals feel threatened. A tooth pattern is on the underside of the hair, which makes the display resemble a large, predatory mouth. Hard scales cover the flank and belly, which makes the meaty neck the only weak point on the creatures. In case they have to fight, the animals depend o
n domed skulls that can deliver an armor-shattering blow.
“This is not going to end well,” Nyx mutters as she wrings water from her hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Timoran taking a deep breath, so she puts a magical hand over his mouth. “We’re trapped between them and the water. A stampede is the last thing we want. Any idea what these things are?”
“Mawdaks,” Luke replies, his voice struggling due to a sour taste in his throat. His coughs and hacks cause the nearest animal to raise its coat and stomp its hooves. “They’re hairy cows that live in humid areas. Not sure why since they have to be overheated with all that hair. My grandfather mentioned something about their sweat being like ice, but my dad interrupted that lesson. We should be fine as long as we don’t make any sudden sounds or movements. If one does get riled then avoid eye contact and try to act small.”
“Fizzle already small,” the drite points out from his perch on Timoran’s shoulder. “Fizzle no know shrink spell.”
“I don’t think you’re going to have worry,” Dariana whispers while turning in a circle. She keeps her hands in front of her chest to prevent the herd from seeing the beams of light and getting spooked. “We have to travel through them. I’ll take the lead, but I need to keep my arms in this position. The Compass Key is too bright.”
Delvin loosens his shield straps and hands it to the telepath, who is unsure what to do with the gift. “Put it on your arm and walk with it in front of your chest. It should free up your other hand and protect you in case they attack. Not sure how hard they hit, but a magical shield should be enough to stop them. I promise not to take it back unless it’s an emergency. Besides, I still have an extra buckler in my pouch.”
“Wow. You still haven’t lost or broken all of those?” Sari asks with a smirk. Nyx is the only one to chuckle, the others stopping themselves out of fear of scaring the herd. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist teasing you. By the way, I’m tracking the currents and this island is bigger than I originally thought. There might even be a bridge that goes to another one, but things get muddled about a mile in every direction.”
“Better than nothing,” Dariana says as she steps into the herd. She holds her breath even though none of the animals pay attention to her. “I will try to keep them calm, but I fear the Compass Key is taxing my powers. I’m sorry that I can’t be of more help. Stay close and be ready to run in case the worst happens.”
The Mawdaks glance at the intruders and a few raise their fur, but none of the animals charge. It is not long before they barely notice the champions, who struggle to avoid making contact and noise. Dariana leads her friends in a winding path that is cut off several times, which forces them to wait patiently for an opening. During one of these delays, a brave calf butts into Timoran’s leg and stomps its hind legs. The mother cautiously watches the barbarian with her head down in case he steps toward her baby and she needs to attack. She relaxes when the adventurers continue on and the youngster comes scampering back for milk.
It is when the champions are in the middle of the herd that they notice a change in the animals’ mood. Stomping hooves and guttural calls drift from the far shore of the island, a predatory hiss joining the noises. Taking up the rear, Timoran turns around and tries to pick out the source of the new sound. A darting blur of green catches his attention and another suddenly moves in the opposite direction, but they are hard to track due to the nervous herd’s hair rising to great a forest of fake maws. Nudging Sari in the back, the barbarian urges his friends to walk quicker as the Mawdaks begin to panic. The animals are getting tighter and, not wanting to use force, the adventurers soon find themselves trapped.
Chaos ensues when one of the lurking predators leaps out of a tree and hurtles toward a terrified calf. Gliding on flaps of skin between its four limbs, the long-faced lizard flails with its claws to clumsily break its flight. A long tail lashes at several adults, which causes them to turn around and leave the youngster more exposed. It is nearly upon the calf when Timoran steps in to slice the predator in half. The flash of metal and dying shrieks of the reptile puts the herd over the edge and a stampede ensues. Mangroves are battered and a few are knocked over, which causes chunks of ground to jut up and trip the Mawdaks. The hissing lizards continue to attack from above, but they are rarely successful since they are only interested the well-hidden calves and some of them get trampled before returning to the tress.
It is not long before the champions are divided and Fizzle finds himself struggling to locate his friends in the stampede. The drite tries to hover in one spot to get his bearings, but a gliding lizard always soars off a tree to attack. Depending on the air currents, the predators are no match for the dragon’s agility and are repeatedly eluded. If they come too close, Fizzle smacks them away with his tail or unleashes a blast of fear-inducing breath. Making a wide turn, the drite spots Delvin helping Nyx to the edge of the herd, the channeler bleeding from a glancing blow to her head. Spiraling around a large lizard, Fizzle chomps into its leathery neck and drives it to the ground. The predator is stomped to death as the tiny dragon darts out of danger and rapidly circles the area.
The drite continues looking for his friends, finally seeing Timoran straddling a calf while punching a lizard in the face. Unwilling to wait any longer, Fizzle release a milder version of his rainbow breath in patches above the herd. Instead of putting them into a deep slumber, the spreading mist plunges them into a soothing calmness. The predators are too high in the air to be affected by the spell and leap out of the trees with a chorus of hisses. Fizzle opens his mouth and releases a roar that a larger dragon would be proud of, the shockwave sending all of the terrified reptiles careening away from the island. With a playful chirp, the drite returns to his friends and snatches the apple that Delvin holds over his head.
“Thanks, Fizzle. That could have been a lot worse if it continued,” the warrior says while he lifts Nyx into his arms. A gentle kiss to her head erases the minor injury, but the channeler remains in a daze from the spell. “Everybody okay? I feel a little funny and walking is a slight challenge.”
“I held my breath when I saw the mist, so I can carry those who need help,” Timoran declares, bending down to pat a Mawdak calf on the head. The barbarian puts his axe on his back and carefully moves around the grazing animals to reach the others. “We should get moving again before the spell wears off. Have you seen the others?”
“Luke and I are over here!” Sari shouts from the far side of the island. The pair are leaning against a tree, both of them looking like they are about to collapse. “Can we find a place to rest because the two of us aren’t going to last much longer? Not to sound like I’m whining, but it feels like Luke and I are doing a lot of the legwork. By that I mean jumping and dodging. All we want is to lie down for an hour or two. What do you say, Dari? Uh, where did she go?”
“Fizzle no see Dariana,” the drite reports from where he is hovering.
“Let me see if this works,” Delvin says as he summons his shield. The enchanted object whirls out of the swamp and secures itself to his forearm, the telepath still nowhere to be seen. “I believe we have a really big problem here.”
9
“For the last time, I can’t do anything, Cunningham,” Sari snaps, her patience with the warrior coming to an end. Jabbing her finger against his armor, she locks her knuckles to avoid getting hurt. “If you can’t life sense her, Nyx can’t magic sense her, Timoran can’t smell her, and Luke can’t track her then I’m not going to have any better luck. Dariana was probably caught in the currents and is on land by now. So stop asking me to poke my head in the swamp and take a look around.”
Exhausted and worried, the two champions are on the verge of arguing when they are pushed away from each other by a gust of wind. Stepping between her tense friends, Nyx causes their feet to become trapped in the mud. The channeler rubs her bloodshot eyes and yawns, the small bursts of magic somehow being enough to make her drowsy. To prevent a loud shouting match, she stretches her
arms and clumsily puts her fingers against their lips. The gesture does not last long, Nyx’s fatigue causing her limbs to pathetically droop and recoil. Freeing her friends from the ground, she takes a seat in the middle of the muddy path.
“I’m tired and you two are irritating,” Nyx declares, earning a nod of agreement from Timoran. A heat spell wafts off her body to dry the mud around her and save her pants from getting filthier than they already are. “For all we know, Dariana is facing her own part of the challenge. Each of us had an obstacle that we were forced to handle alone. So there’s no reason to panic and fight amongst ourselves. At least not yet since she’s only been gone for a little over an hour.”
“An hour is a long time in a place like this,” Delvin argues, reaching down to help his fiancée stand. The warrior gasps when Nyx accidentally absorbs some of his aura, the ticklish sensation catching him by surprise. “Let’s try not to do that again. Maybe you’re right and we should find a place to rest. At least we can come up with a plan instead of wandering aimlessly and fighting amongst ourselves. Do you see another island or a clearing, Fizzle?”
“Fizzle think so!” the drite shouts from above the trees. He points to the north without realizing that there is no path leading in that direction. “Small grove with pretty lights. Fizzle see fruit too. Want Fizzle scout?”
“No. Come back down here and give your wings a rest,” Delvin replies while searching his things for an apple. Not finding anything, he is about to apologize when Timoran puts one on his shoulder for the drite to enjoy. “We really need to make sure everyone has at least five apples for situations like this. So, how are we going to get across the water? Any ideas from our silent shadow?”
Luke snaps out of his blank-eyed daze, the brief meditation enough to erase most of his fatigue. The forest tracker puts a hand on his stomach to feel it rumble, the strength of the tremors telling him that transforming would be difficult. He finds himself surprised at his hunger considering he has not pushed his abilities any more than usual. It has not even been a full day since he had a decent meal thanks to leftovers from the Feast Ring. Lost in his thoughts again, Luke only stirs when Sari rubs the point of his ear, which causes his legs to tremble. For a terrifying moment, he is about to call her Kira, but stops himself by doubling over and faking a harsh cough.
The Spirit Well Page 17
