by Bill Mays
“I like her,” Ado’s giggle rang out. “She’s got spunk!”
Tark shrugged his shoulder roughly, dumping the giggling gremlin into the deep mud at his feet. The gladiator then looked into the old woman’s eyes for a second and nodded. “Yes, that about does it, thank you,” he replied a bit sheepishly.
Again, the big man wondered what had possessed him to take that tone with the helpful sage. One thing was for sure, the woman was not going to be pushed around by him or anyone else. There was one thing he could agree with Ado on. Herrin had spunk. Tark felt awkward after the exchange; and he was thinking quickly how to change the subject. Herrin chuckled as she watched the big man fidget.
“Report!” He yelled out. The answer however was not to his expectations.
“Not all clear!” The fairy sang back cheerily.
Ado had just pulled himself from the mud and lifted into the air next to the gladiator. He was ready to reprimand him when he heard the girl’s response. “Should have worked on that system a little more I see,” his grating giggle faded as did his appearance. The gremlin was invisible again.
Tark glanced at Herrin. The old woman was shaking her head from side to side. Her assistant could be quite naïve at times. Tark drew forth his trident and cursed himself for not being more thorough on his instructions where the fairy was involved.
“Nivit dear?” Herrin called out nervously.
“Yes Herrin?” The tiny girl seemed very pleased with herself for staying on top of things with her scouting duties.
“What exactly did you see?” The old woman was trying to speak quietly and calmly.
“Without pointing,” Tark whispered quickly.
“Just the usual, more lizard men are watching us, but it’s the normal kind this time. They are not painted or playing with bones.”
“How many did you see?” Tark was trying his best to seem nonchalant while scanning the underbrush for those yellow reptilian eyes. He knew the lizards were excellent at camouflage.
“Ummm …” Nivit placed her chin in her palm with her index finger extended across her lips. She began tapping her finger slowly. “It is hard to count so many without pointing,” she giggled. “I would have to guess about twelve to fifteen of them. Oh, and they have a couple of those big water lizards with teeth -- appilators? Those sure are funny pets to have. They don‘t look friendly at all. If I were them, I’d choose one of the little lizards for pets, not the ones with sharp teeth.”
“Do you mean alligators?” Herrin asked.
“Yes! That’s it, alligators! I always forget their name. It’s a weird name don’t you think, Mr. Tark?” The fairy was smiling at the gladiator and awaiting his reply.
The old sage’s face drained white with fear. “What in the world are we going to do?”
Tark was wondering the same thing himself. Currently they were navigating across a narrow bridge of land. It was maybe five yards across. There were two large pools of brown water to either side of them. How deep the water was they could not tell. Broad based swamp trees and a variety of smaller plant life lined the edges of these pools. A good thirty yards separated them from another open expanse of land in either direction.
“Without pointing, Nivit, can you tell me where these lizard men and their alligators are?” Tark spoke slowly and pleasantly as if talking to a young child.
“Umm, let’s see,” the fairy giggled playfully. “This is kind of hard.” The girl spun in a circle. “There are several to either side of us, and some are in the water and some are out. The two alligators I see are in the water. I think I like this game, Mr. Tark.”
“Very good, Nivit!” Herrin whispered. The girl did a flip in the air, pleased with her description.
“Are there any of them ahead of us, or behind us?” Tark continued.
“How ridiculous!” Ado griped from hiding. “It’s like pulling teeth from a cougar!”
“Shhh!” Tark hissed.
“There are a couple behind us now, but I don’t see any ahead of us, yet,” She chirped, thoroughly enjoying this game of question and answer.
“This isn’t a game you dolt!” Ado griped. “We have to find an escape route before those savage lizards rip us to pieces!”
“Ohhhh!” Nivit finally caught onto to the situation. “I would say we just fly over them. They’ll never catch us.” Herrin shook her head from side to side again while Tark groaned.
“The humans don’t have wings!” Ado all but yelled. “Stupid fairy!”
“Sorry,” Nivit looked on the verge of tears. “I forgot.”
“That’s alright dear,” Herrin whispered in an effort to calm her assistant.
“Listen up everyone. We continue forward as if nothing is wrong. On my signal we make a run for it.”
Tark was at a loss here. How could they possibly contend with so many enemies? Even if the fairy’s estimate was off, they were far outnumbered. He was basically fighting alone. Tark looked to the old sage to make sure that she was prepared to run. Herrin sighed deeply then nodded. She knew there was little hope; their situation was dire.
“Mr. Ado?” The fairy spoke loudly to the air, unsure as to where the gremlin was.
“Quiet girl! Do you want them to suspect something and charge? They do carry javelins you know. No matter how crude they are they’ll still hurt when they punch a hole through you.” The tremlin was beyond irritated with the girl.
“I have a plan. Why don’t we distract them, with our magic?” She smiled up at the mage’s voice.
“Now there’s an idea,” Tark grumbled to the air. “You could try being a useful mage.”
“What?” Ado was in shock. This fairy was beyond stupid, she was suicidal. That was a terrible idea. It was probably the worse idea he had ever heard.
“I’m sure between the two of us; we could come up with something.” The fairy was already flitting towards the hiding lizard men. “Let’s go!” She cheered.
“Nivit dear, be careful,” Herrin warned. “Those lizard men aren’t playing. They will try to hurt you if they get the chance, and Lilelee isn’t around to help out this time.”
“Both of you be careful,” Tark whispered.
Maybe he did not want to be outdone by a fairy; he was not really sure. “I can’t believe I’m even considering this,” Ado grumbled as he followed the fairy at a safe distance. No point in one javelin getting the both of them, now was there?
“Maybe I should disguise myself?” Nivit mumbled aloud. “Isn’t this exciting, Mr. Ado?” The girl’s colorful butterfly wings began to sprout dull feathers. In the blink of an eye, the fairy was gone and a small brown swamp bird had taken her place.
“I didn’t realize she could do that,” Tark looked on with shock.
“Neither did I,” Herrin breathed. “That girl is full of surprises.”
“We better make the most of the time they manage to buy us,” Tark whispered. “Walk briskly until we hear a commotion, then run as fast as you can and stay behind me. There may be more of them ahead of us.” Herrin nodded nervously. Mere moments passed before a loud splash and a growl signaled the magical distraction. “Run!” Tark hissed.
The humans took to a sprint across the land bridge and continued on into the open land beyond. Herrin was struggling just to remain near the swift gladiator. Tark was forced to slow his pace to keep from losing her altogether. One lizard man managed to maneuver around in front of them without Nivit’s detection. The creature sprang to its feet before the gladiator. Tark was startled by its sudden appearance, but his reflexes were quick. The big man wasted no time in taking the creature down. All diplomacy was lost to his battle lust. A couple of swift jabs of his trident and the lizard man dropped dead. Tark did not even suffer a scratch.
* * * * * * * * * *
Back on the land bridge, a familiar giant green snake was busy engaging several of the reptilian warriors. Random rocks and branches continued to rise and fall on the other lizard men’s heads. The reptilian humanoids w
ere all becoming very engrossed in their situation be it snake or flying objects. A small brown bird hopped about chirping as the battle ensued. Ado became visible during his focus on controlling the snake. A javelin sailed right by his head. The tremlin screeched in fright and flitted back a ways.
“It’s time to fly, fairy!” The mage called out as he headed away from the battle.
As Ado fled, his snake-illusion also departed. The creature simply popped out of existence. Nivit heard the gremlin’s call and hopped into the air. It was a little uncomfortable flying in bird form so she shifted back to her usual self, and darted to catch up to her fleeing companion.
“That was fun wasn’t it, Mr. Ado?” The tiny girl chirped.
Ado shot her a glare; but before he could reply, a javelin knocked the fairy from the air. Nivit screamed in pain as she spiraled down to crash in the thick mud. Ado continued on with two quick flaps of his wings before he realized he could not just leave the girl behind. He was fairly certain someone would be mad at him if he did.
“Stupid, stupid fairy,” he grumbled as he spun about and made a dive for the girl.
A lizard man, the one who had targeted the fairy, was moving in on his downed prey. Nivit screamed as the lizard man raised his clawed hand to strike. The lizard warrior hissed and Ado screeched as he swooped in, yanking the girl from the mud and shooting back into the air. He clutched her tightly by the waist. The two barely missed connecting with their attacker’s sharp claws.
“Wheee!” Nivit squealed as the two darted away dodging several more javelins.
The little folk flew in a different direction than Tark and Herrin had run in an attempt to lead their pursuers away from the humans’ trail. After a reasonable amount of time, once they were sure they had lost the lizard men, they circled back around to locate their companions.
“Never do something so stupid again!” Ado huffed. “If you do, you’re on your own next time, fairy.”
Nivit was too caught up in the excitement to pay any attention to her scolding. “That was fantastic!” She cheered from Ado’s arms. “You were amazing, Mr. Ado! We actually did it! We dealt with those mean lizards all by ourselves. Doesn’t it feel good?”
“Hardly, you idiotic butterfly! We nearly got ourselves killed!” Ado was furious.
“But we didn’t, because you saved me.”
Nivit wriggled around in Ado’s grasp and wrapped her little arms around his neck giving him a big hug. She then kissed him on the cheek after which he promptly dropped her to wipe the mark from his face. The girl’s wings caught the wind and she flitted up to fly beside the gremlin.
“You’re my hero, Mr. Ado. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Shut up and look for the others,” he grumbled.
After a short time of searching and several attempts to keep Nivit’s attention focused on the task at hand, they spotted Tark and Herrin. The two were taking a break and catching their breaths. The lizard men had been left far behind. The little folk swooped in to join their winded companions.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you two safe,” Herrin huffed in her motherly tone.
“Are there any more of them nearby?” Tark asked immediately.
“No,” Ado answered sourly. “We took care of them all for you and we almost died in the process.” The gremlin wanted the humans to feel guilty or indebted or something.
“Good job little ones!” Tark congratulated.
“Whatever,” Ado snipped back. The mage was obviously in a foul mood. “We nearly got killed back there!”
Nivit landed next to Herrin favoring her left shoulder. “Nivit, are you hurt?” The old sage began fussing over the girl.
“The javelin just grazed me. I’ll be fine, thanks to Mr. Ado. He’s my hero.”
“Bah,” Ado snorted waving away the girl’s praises with annoyance.
“Do tell,” Tark chimed in very interested to hear this tale.
The fairy flitted this way and twirled that way as she recounted everything with a few minor corrections from Ado. Tark was truly impressed to hear about his tiny companion’s uncharacteristic heroics.
“We all deserve a nice cup of my special tea after that ordeal,” the sage decided. A small fire was lit and they rested for a time enjoying some of Herrin’s special brew.
“Oh, and I guess we could have mentioned that the foothills start just over those trees,” Ado offered as they packed up to head on.
Tark looked to the mage with an angry glare. “You wait until now to mention that? We could have been out of this swamp already.”
“I needed to rest after all of that commotion, plus who could resist some of Herrin’s tasty tea?” He giggled. His clever cover made Herrin beam and silenced Tark’s oncoming tirade all in one.
* * * * * * * * * *
They made their short trek into the hills and it was as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Herrin assured them the lizard men would not follow them this far and that the hills heralded the coming of the Villinsk border. It was much easier going without the mud sucking at their every step. The hills sloped gradually upwards leading them into the lands of Villinsk. Thus far, Herrin had been correct. There were no checkpoints or guard stations to be seen. The sage assured them they were in friendly territory now. According to her, there was a small town they could rest in before reaching their destination. If her memory were accurate, it would be less than a day away. It was a small settlement by the name of Keilly. The promise of an actual bed carried them on well into the twilight hours. Even Ado did not complain about the extra hike, well not too much. Eventually they came down from the rolling hills into a quiet dale.
“This is Seeker’s Dale,” the old woman informed them.
“Why do they call it that?” Nivit questioned.
“Because many come through this dale seeking knowledge, as we do,” the sage explained.
“The dale is nice and all, but where’s this town? I’m getting hungry,” Ado announced from his perch on Tark’s shoulder.
“I have some hoota berries if you want them, Mr. Ado,” Nivit offered with a grin.
“No – thanks, I want some real food,” the gremlin replied with annoyance.
Tark chuckled and it only further annoyed the mage. The fairy had been trying to cater to the gremlin’s every whim since the incident with the lizard men. The tremlin had seen enough attention from the girl to last the rest of his life.
“Keilly isn’t much farther,” Herrin smiled. She was careful to keep her own mirth under control.
Tark suddenly became acutely aware of his surroundings. Every rustling leaf, every insect, every night bird’s call echoed in his head. “We need to be cautious. I have a very bad feeling about this place,” Tark grumbled. The big man was in another of his foul moods instantly. His anxiety was rising and he caught himself jumping at every shadow. “Keep close and keep your eyes open people.”
“Great,” Ado whispered to himself, “Mr. Sunshine is back.”
He especially hated being around the big man when he was in one of his paranoid phases. The normal Tark was bossy and annoying, and the angry Tark was scary, but the paranoid Tark was borderline insane. It was all just too much for Ado to deal with. Before much longer there were lights on the horizon and the faint smell of smoke wafting on the breeze.
“That would be Keilly I presume?” Tark asked with a hopeful yet tentative expression.
“I do believe it is,” Herrin replied cheerily.
“Yippee - a town!” Nivit cheered. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a human town.”
“And you’re sure there’s nothing we need to know before entering, right?” Tark’s paranoia was even getting to the old woman.
“No, nothing,” she sighed.
“Then let’s hurry up!” Ado prodded. “Freshly cooked foods and soft beds await us. Keilly here we come.” The mage leapt from Tark’s shoulder into the air and led the final stretch to reach the town.
* * * *
* * * * * *
“Noooooo!” The moaned cry echoed through the dusty halls of the old temple.
Karzack could sense the presence of the powerful magic that had called to him. It was leaving his lands. His servants had been too slow. Later he would learn of the primitive lizard men who had seen the humans last. He would learn of their escape across the foothills and into the Kingdom of Villinsk. That is why the call faded. Karzack would also feast on the lives of some of those very lizard men who had let them escape. His thirst for the power he had felt would not soon die. It left the king with a burning need to acquire that power. It was what he had sought all of these centuries. He may have forgotten once, but he was sure of it now. Adding that magic to his own would be enough to achieve his goal. From this day forward, his minions would be on watch. Any who entered his swamps were to be brought before him. Surely, the travelers would pass back through his lands. They had to pass back through. He had been called by the magic; it was meant to be. Karzack, King of the Acid Swamps, would have that power.
- Chapter 11 -
A New Struggle
