by Noah Layton
‘A statue? So you think that’s definitely what they’re building from the bluestone?’
‘Oh, definitely. It has to be. There’s no other reason for this much.’
‘Imagine having this much gold to waste on a statue…’ Cass said, whistling in an impressed note. ‘They must have gold coming out of their ears.’
‘All that does is bring me back to the prospect that they’re a large tribe. They’re probably strong, and strong means that they pose a threat.’
We arrived at the new land in no time and loaded the bluestone from the chests into the carts.
‘All right,’ I said, gathering everybody around the map. ‘We’re heading south of here, which will take us past Grayholde and back into the forest. This is an area that we’ve never been before.’ I turned to Cass and her brothers. ‘You three, this is more your territory than mine seeing as it’s in proximity to Grayholde. Know anything about it?’
‘I would not exactly call it our hometown,’ Cass said, ruffling the back of her short hair. ‘It is the place that we were condemned to reside. We had no real need to leave beyond foraging in the surrounding forests for food.’
I looked over sharply at her, fighting to keep my mouth from dropping open without a word to back it up.
‘You had to forage for food?’
‘Oh, yes. When times were at their worst and we could not afford the most basic necessities, we hunted for berries in the forest, and when that was not enough we caught wild hogs. Well, my brothers caught them and killed them, I simply cooked them. These two are expensive to feed.’
‘Is that all that’s in the forest in that area? Wild animals?’
‘I should hope so.’
‘You… Hope so?’
‘We never came across anything fierce in the area. Right now, though, our problems are not in the form of four-legged creatures. Unless this tribe we are meeting with is one of centaurs, that is.’
I forced a smile as I imagined the seven-foot tall humanoid-horse hybrids moving towards us through the trees. The only one of their kind that I had deal with before was at the trading post back when I had purchased some piglets, and he had been intimidating enough.
He wasn’t exactly noble, but his presence alone was a force to be reckoned with.
But there was no sense in hanging around any longer.
‘We travel light from here. Before we reach the meeting point, we’ll armor up. Keep your weapons sheathed but be at the ready. Don’t make any sudden movements unless things start to go south.’
‘Why would we start to go south?’ Elera asked in confusion.
‘No, I mean… Just don’t look as if you’re going to start attacking. We just need to appear as if we’re a strong fighting force.’
‘And if they do start attacking?’ Ariadne asked.
‘Then fight for your lives, and if that goes badly, run. And if running doesn’t work, well… I have a gift for you all.’
I pulled up my inventory and opened up a trading window with each of my citizens, one by one.
Ariadne, my foxgirl, was first. The moment she saw the item her eyes went wide.
‘Are… Are you serious, Jack?’
‘Very.’
I moved quickly around the group, handing one to each of them.
‘You cannot be serious,’ Cass muttered, holding the item up in the daylight. Many of my other companions followed suit.
They were now all in possession of a hand-triggered explosive. The weapons took the form of black, rough spheres with a fuse at the top, as if a 1960s cartoon had been transformed into real life.
‘I picked these up at the trading post a few days ago from the defense merchants. They’re for emergencies only.’
‘What classes as an emergency?’ Elera asked.
‘The moment they raise their weapons and show that they intend to attack us. Don’t hold back. It’s us or them. Just activate the fuse and throw.’
We went over our final preparations, checked that the entirety of the bluestone was loaded into the carts, equipped our weapons, and set off for the meeting point.
Reaching the flatland that surrounded Grayholde, we arced along a trail at the forest’s edge until we reached the opposing side, then continued on through the forest.
I wanted to crack a joke to lighten the mood – that was my job, after all, to calm the minds of my tribe – but that was easier said than done. We were progressing closer and closer into the unknown.
There was nothing I could say, nothing anyone could. We were taking the risk, and that was all there was to it.
‘Just a few hundred yards ahead,’ Cass said after an hour’s travel.
‘Okay,’ I replied. ‘Let’s hold up for a minute and equip our armor.’
We all did so, all of us except for one.
‘There is water out there somewhere, Tall-man,’ Elera said, captivated as she looked out to the east. ‘A river, I think, not far from here. I can sense it.’
‘Really?’ I looked out in the same direction. ‘Okay, new plan – you head out there and keep a lookout. If they’re small in numbers then just keep watch, but if an army is approaching that looks like they’re ready to kill us, report back as quickly as you can.’
Elera gave me a nod, as disciplined as a soldier for once, and took off into the forest.
She was usually devious and playful to boot, but when it came to water she was always committed.
It was a weird thing to be dedicated to, but when your life literally depended on it, it became easy to understand why she behaved the way that she did.
With our armor equipped we continued through the forest. We moved in a strict formation, trying to adopt some sense of seriousness even though we were a pretty mismatched group.
The thought crossed my mind of how we must have come across to other tribes in Agraria. Aside from Werger’s tribe, every tribe that I had been told stories of revolved around a race; centaurs, wood-elves, goblins.
We were just a collection of people who had nowhere else to go, but I knew that I had loyalty on my side when it came to my people.
That was the only thing that I asked of them. It was the only important thing.
‘We are near,’ Cass said, keeping her voice low. ‘Anywhere around here. They could already be here for all we know.’
‘Keep your eyes peeled, everyone,’ I said. ‘The last thing I want is us walking into an ambush.’
‘And if we are?’ Cass asked.
‘Then you all know what to do.’
We slowed the pace of our caravan to a crawl as we approached a large clearing ahead.
Every one of us glanced about our surroundings. I felt the seconds drag by.
A swathe of possibilities crossed my mind. This plan was beyond risky – any plan in this scenario would be risky – but now that I was here the grip of terror took hold of me.
Not for me, but for my tribe.
We stopped in the clearing and waited in silence. The forest was always alive, and now every sound set my teeth on edge.
The wilds of Agraria could play tricks on the mind until a man went insane.
Minutes drew out. There was no way of keeping time in this land beyond the sun, and as it reached the point before midday I wondered whether they would be late, or if they had already come and gone, expecting us to have been late ourselves.
Then, through the trees directly ahead, the foreign tribe appeared.
Chapter Five
They were like nothing I had ever seen before.
Their skin was a flawless, pale yellow, their long, slender ears holding tight to their heads as they coiled back, becoming hidden in well-kept hair. Both the men and women sported long, golden hair that fell over their shoulders as they emerged, and all were clad in the same red-tinged leather armor.
The distinguishing features resided in their faces. The men were sharp and defined, some appearing even unhealthily gaunt, the bones looking as if they were trying to escape from their face
s. The women’s faces were much softer, although they bore the same focused, analytical expressions as those of their male counterparts.
All ten of the figures that approached rode on the backs of creatures that I had never seen before. They were the height of horses, but in shape they resembled something closer to slender purple hippos.
Of the ten, four were guards on the right and four on the left, the central pair in each group pulling empty wagons composed of dark redwood.
Only two distinguished themselves from the others. They rode at the front, both riding slightly larger creatures than those belonging to their guards. I could only surmise that they were the leaders.
The first of the two looked to be in his 60s. His face was a little older and a little wiser than the rest, and his hair was cut shorter, its golden-brown colour having taken on a slightly greyer sheen. His eyes were small and focused and his nose sharp.
To his side, who I expected to be the second-in-command, was another male sun-elf. He looked to be in his mid-20s, but his face was filled with a much sterner, stricter rage – the temper of a young man filled with testosterone and anger.
I couldn’t help but imagine how much of a ragtag bunch of misfits we looked in comparison to this well-organised group; a human who had been transported to this world only a few weeks ago, his imp, a foxgirl, a purple-haired archer, an acrobatic ex-miner and her two walking-tank twin brother.
‘Sun elves,’ Lara whispered from my side. ‘I didn’t even know there was a tribe in the area, never mind one in this region.’
‘Any advice?’
‘They have above-average hearing, if those ears didn’t give it away.’
I kept my mouth shut.
The sun-elves pushed their strange steeds forward slowly until they came to a halt in unison just twenty yards away from us. No one had even said anything to initiate the stopping; it had simply occurred as if it had been rehearsed a hundred times before.
I kept my head raised, and my gaze focused on the eyes of the leader at the front. Atop the back of his still, disciplined steed, he stared back at me with a blank but analytical expression.
He was trying to assert his dominance, that much I knew, but there was no way that I was going to snap first. I had stared death in the eyes more times than I could count, and I wasn’t about to start looking away now.
This game lasted for more than half a minute, and the longer I stared the less aware I became of what was going on around me.
Initially I could see the staring eyes of the guards either side of the leader meeting those of my companions, who were equally capable of holding their nerve.
But as the seconds stretched on and silence reigned over the clearing, the leader’s eyes seemed to take on a magnetic sheen. There was a stern, unforgiving intimidation to them, one that didn’t relent until he spoke.
‘You are not the one called Werger.’
His voice was deep and low, holding a self-contained gravitas.
‘No,’ I said slowly. ‘I… Am here on his behalf.’
The sun-elf turned his head slightly to the side but kept his gaze fixed on me.
‘I feel that you are lying to me, human. Why do you think that is the case?’
Every move was a show of power. This guy had me from the get-go – and all that I could do was shove back.
‘Probably because Werger is dead.’
He blinked once, slowly, but his face did not change.
‘Did you kill him?’
‘I did.’
‘That, I think, is the truth. Why, then, do you come here with his possessions?’
‘To make the trade that you agreed on. Just because the man is dead, doesn’t mean the deal is off.’
For the first time, the face that belonged to this sun-elf showed some sense of emotion. It was the smallest of smirks, flickering suddenly at the corner of his mouth before dying away like a choked ember.
The problem was, I couldn’t help but return it. Realising my reaction, I killed it quickly and adopted my stern face once again.
‘A peculiar take on the matter at hand, I must admit. But, considering the nature of the man who had made the deal, I think that I can… Amend my thoughts on the matter.’
What the hell does that mean? I thought.
I couldn’t tell if he was going to kill me or open a trading window.
‘Did you speak with the man before you murdered him?’
‘I did.’
‘And what did you make of him?’
‘Honestly? He was a narcissistic, psychopathic little shit, and I can say with confidence that I am glad that he’s dead. And that isn’t something that I say lightly.’
‘Is that so?’
‘It is. And, to set the record straight, it wouldn’t call it murder. It was self-defense. He made the first move.’
The leader of the sun-elves tilted his head again, just like the first time that he had ascertained that I was lying, and just like last time he was reading me like a freaking book.
‘There is some part of that that is not true…’ The leader turned to look at the younger man at his side. They exchanged a long, blank look, then turned back to me.
Something told me that this was it. This was the moment in which they would decide my fate.
Several possibilities ran through my mind – how to give my companions a head start, how to take as many of these bastards down in one fell swoop…
My heart began to pump hard.
I readied my hand to make the movement to my waist, to grab the explosive and ignite it.
Suddenly I felt like a cartel making a deal in the Mexican desert.
I waited for judgement to be brought down upon me.
‘Circumstances such as these would usually unsettle me,’ the sun-elf leader said flatly. ‘… Were it not for the vile nature of the man who made this deal with me initially. He was an awful creature, if I do say so myself. So, in such circumstances, it is not the worst tragedy that a fate like this has befallen him.’
The tribe master stared back at me, his eyes focusing.
Then, without another thought, he dismounted his purple-hippo-steed and began to approach me.
His guards all remained where they were, although the second-in-command that had been sat by his side looked apprehensive.
He stopped halfway across the space between us and stared up at me, waiting.
Even if he was obviously much more powerful than me in almost every respect, this wasn’t like being pulled over by the cops. I wasn’t just going to sit with my hands on the wheel – or the reins in this case – while waiting for him to approach me.
This was a show of respect.
At least, I hoped so.
I got down from Arabelle and headed towards him.
The sun-elf stood like a soldier, shoulders back and form rigid.
His blade was sheathed, but I had little doubt it would take him a second to draw it.
I just wondered if I would be able to take him down before he got me.
Finally I arrived before him, standing just a yard apart.
He analysed me for a few moments longer, then gave a small, genuine smirk.
‘What is your name, tribe master?’
‘Jack Hawthorne,’ I said after a moment, thinking honesty was probably the best policy from here on out.
‘I am Artrix Moonthorn, leader of the sun-elves of Morelia. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Jack.’
‘And you, Master Artrix.’
The sun-elf held out a hand for me to shake. I observed him for a moment, wondering whether this was a ruse.
If he tried to cut my throat he would probably succeed, but I still had the Dagger of Concealment equipped. At least I could take some solace in the fact that we would both go down.
I clasped my hand in his and we shook, the summon-word ready on my lips.
I stopped, and I waited… But no sharpness or blood gurgling on my lips appeared.
Master Art
rix actually raised his other hand and clasped it around my hand in an even more respectful handshake.
‘I understand that it is a difficult task to trust those you do not know in a land such as this, and I do not mean to add to that area of thought. We are a peaceful people when things are well, and believe in leaving much of the land to its own devices beyond our borders. The behaviours of others are of no concern to us, unless they choose to act with violence towards my people.
‘You should know that we sometimes class those who we regularly deal with as our own, but this Werger-man, the one who I previously conversed with… He was far too unpleasant for me to name him as one of mine.’
‘I respect that,’ I replied, trying to make my breathing sound calm. Things might have been going well but that didn’t mean I wasn’t suffering from the adrenaline still exploding through my body.
Back on my world handshakes usually ended after a few seconds, but in other parts of the world they could often go on for minutes at a time. It showed respect and gratefulness.
I hoped that that was Master Artrix was going for as he continued to shake my hand as the seconds passed.
Suddenly he looked sharply to his right. His face became slightly more stern as he scanned the forest, as if he was searching for something.
Elera…
When he surmised that he couldn’t hear anything, Artrix turned back to me.
He gave me a sudden, knowing smile.
‘You are not from this land, are you?’
‘No, I’m not. Somewhere far away from here.’
‘That could not be more true.’
Despite not showing any signs of violence towards myself or my people, almost everything this tribe master said set me on edge.
He was a walking talking lie-detector.
‘So, let us proceed with our dealings,’ he finally continued. Four of the eight guards in Artrix’s stead headed forward atop their hippo-steeds, pulling the wagons with them.
I nodded, determined to keep my big mouth shut. Turning to my people, I ushered them forward. Aden and Oden both took the reins of our horses and moved towards us, until our meeting of two had become much more crowded.
Two of the guards moved forward once they had reached us, sweeping past us sharply and heading straight to the backs of our carts to begin removing the bluestone.
