by Bill Mays
He sent his trident spinning and dove in to help a cornered band of elfin tradesmen. The six forest elves were pinned by at least fifteen humans bearing the symbol of the reivers. With a battle cry, Tark let himself loose to the fight. It felt good. Before they knew what was happening the gladiator had cut three of their fifteen down. A couple of the fanatics broke away to engage the warrior, but most stayed focused on their elfin targets. The men seemed intent on keeping the elves from escaping. Five of the elves surrounded the sixth in a defensive circle. Evidently, he was the mage among them, for he began mumbling and gesturing from the rear of the group. A misty vapor oozed from the elf’s fingertips. It reached out engulfing three of the attackers. All of them fell to the ground in a deep magical slumber.
Tark knocked aside the first man’s buckler and, with a lightning-fast reverse of his trident, pierced the same man’s chest, dropping him dead. His other opponent took a swing, but Tark was far too skilled for the clumsy blow. The gladiator dropped to his knees and swiped the man’s legs from under him. A quick hop back to his feet and Tark was driving his weapon through his prone opponent. He took no joy in ending their lives, but at the same time he felt no pity for the crazed fanatics. They had cast their loyalties and made their choices.
The small elves brought two more of the fanatics down on their own. Though the pointy-eared men were smaller than Dalia was, they moved with a fluid grace and nimbleness that was beyond any human. Watching them fight was like watching a dance more than combat. The odds had turned on the believers, but they truly were fanatical. The men fought without fear and without hesitation. Most held a glazed look in their eyes. Tark decided that the slender, pointy-eared merchants could handle things from here. He was on a mission to find a safe escape route from the city. He was poised to round another corner and lose sight of the scene, when a collective cry drew his attention back to the elves. A very tall figure in white now stood behind the mage at the rear of their defensive circle. It wore a hooded robe shrouding its identity, but Tark recognized the thing from his vision immediately. There was a draining energy radiating from the spot where the creature stood. The gladiator could feel it even at his distance. It left no doubt in his mind. This was a reiver. Long bluish arms ending in four gnarled fingers reached from the robes of the seven-foot tall creature. They wrapped around the struggling elf mage. He screamed in pure agony and Tark watched as the very life was sucked from the man’s slender body. The remaining elves broke formation and shrieked in panic. They tried to flee but the fanatics did their best to corral the small men back to their hungry demon god. Those long arms jerked outward again and again, drawing in and then literally absorbing the elfin lives. The slender merchants fell from its grip as withered corpses. The reiver moved fast, but his steps and gestures were awkward and unnatural. One of the elves escaped. He made a mad dash to flee the robed monster, but the creature simply stepped away and stepped back in front of the small elf as if there were a doorway connecting the two points hidden in the air. The slender merchant did not stand a chance.
Tark wanted to help the elf, but he knew he could not attempt it now. He had no idea of how powerful the creature might actually be. It probably would not be good if he gave something as important as the artifact to the monster. The reivers were worshipped as gods. The city was swarming with their faithful, and his friends were counting on him to get them out. He had to find an escape route fast.
* * * * * * * * * *
Herrin intensely scanned the commotion that the common room had become. “Find the child quickly, Nivit!” The old woman called out.
Both woman and fairy were searching the large common room for any sign of the goblin. The proprietress loosely directed the chaos. Between shouts, the woman was desperately gazing into her crystal ball for guidance. Patrons had begun barricading the door to the inn. They were looking for any piece of furniture not nailed down to add to the pile. Finally, Herrin spotted the child. He was cowering in the corner of the room, beneath the bar’s overhang.
She pointed him out to Nivit. “Get him, and bring him back to the room,” she shouted over the growing noise.
The fairy wasted no time in darting above the crowd to reach the frightened boy. “Gringey, it’s me, Nivit. I’ve come to take you to some place safe. Come with me,” she coaxed.
The goblin nodded in understanding. “Gringey follow.” The frightened child was happy to see a friendly face.
Nivit guided him carefully towards the stairwell where Herrin waited. Suddenly, the fairy felt feint. She actually fell from the air in her daze. Luckily, the goblin child was quick enough to catch her, before she was trampled to death in the confusion. She shook away the strange sensation and looked up in abject terror.
“Get to the stairs! Get to Herrin!” The tiny girl chirped excitedly. “Something very bad is coming.”
Out of thin air stepped a tall robed and hooded figure. It was suddenly just there, standing behind the proprietress as she gazed into her crystal ball. Its seven-foot frame was completely draped in the long white robe’s folds. The gathered patrons shrank away from the thing in horror. Herrin gasped as she watched the creature wrap its lengthy blue arms around the woman sucking the life from her body as she struggled.
“Nivit hurry!” The old sage screamed.
The room and all its occupants were also struck by the draining sensation. Every one of the patrons scrambled to get away from the monster. Now they trampled one another to undo the barricade in front of the inn doors.
The tall robed figure radiated malevolent energy. “Not of this world,” the sage mumbled in awe, “A reiver!” She gasped in recognition.
Gringey was fast, and though he too was slowed by the draining sensation at first, he was quick to continue onward. One of the proprietress’ daughters dashed past the goblin with a large vase in her hands. She attacked the monster, smashing the heavy pottery into the creature’s back trying desperately to get the thing to release her screaming mother. One gnarled hand shot out, grabbing the girl by the throat and lifting her from the floor. She squirmed and dangled like a fish on a hook. It then tossed her, flailing, through the air. The girl crashed lifeless against the far wall scattering frightened patrons.
Once the creature was finished feeding on the sorceress who owned the inn, it tossed her shriveled carcass to the floor, and placed both hands on the crystal ball. It seemed to be feeding off of the item as well. The mists inside the globe slowly faded. The terrified patrons were frantically trying to unblock the door they had just barricaded. Some opted to dive through windows instead, but the commotion outside in the streets did not look much safer. Gringey slipped around the edges of the room and reached the sage. Nivit regained her composure and took back to the air. Instantly, the robed monster’s hooded head snapped up to stare at the fairy. Even from the darkness that was its face, she could feel the hunger. Herrin grabbed the goblin child’s arm and ran back up the stairs as fast as she could. Her other hand was holding her chest as if it could keep her pounding heart from exploding. Nivit led the way with a scream of pure fear. The reiver caught the fairy’s scent, and it was clear he was interested.
* * * * * * * * * *
Tark felt his anxiety threatening to return. The screams around him amplified and the lights exploding over the city became blindingly bright. He slipped his hand under his leather jerkin and clutched the artifact tightly. The rhythm in the gem’s vibrations helped to calm the big man. It made him feel in control again. He also felt a small pulse of strength surge through his body. The gladiator rushed through a tight alley. He startled several young people trying to hide in the process. In the street ahead of him, eight of the fanatics were pushed back by one of the statue guardians that had originally stood in the gateway to the city. Each of its four massive arms carried a different glowing weapon. At least there was some form of defense system here, the big man thought. Tark crept up behind an abandoned vendor’s cart. He could see the gateway to the outside. Masses of the
“believers,” as they called themselves, walked in rows chanting as they entered the city. White-robed bodies were everywhere. It looked as if they had brought an army to Talwen’s gates. Their front ranks called on terrible spells of destruction. It seemed that a respectable number of mages belonged to the fanatical order.
“I guess we’re not leaving through the front door,” Tark mumbled to himself.
A scream drew his eyes upwards as someone came crashing to their death in the street near him. The flying carpet and the female gnome who had been riding it were both consumed in blue flames. He made a break across the market square headed for a distant alleyway. Several merchants of various races ran past him at an angle, being pursued closely by six of the fanatics with large, two-handed swords. One of the merchants, a tall slender elf with silver hair, tossed a handful of sparkling jewels behind him. Each gem exploded in sparks of energy. The blue ones were cold, the red ones burned hot, the yellow ones released jolts of electricity and the clear ones were like tiny sonic booms. The impressive visual display was not incredibly damaging but it did succeed in slowing their pursuers. With the time bought, one of the other merchants made his move. An older human man tore his necklace off and tossed it into the air. There came a shower of sparks, as the necklace became a giant owl that scooped him and the elf up and flew away into the sky and over the city wall.
“I wish I had one of those,” Tark mumbled as he ran through to the next alley. He quickly ducked behind a stack of barrels to avoid being spotted. “We have to get over that wall,” he sighed as he dashed into yet another winding alley.
A member of The Order of Four carrying two short swords entered the same alley from the opposite side, searching for any non-believers. Tark did not bother to slow his stride. He leveled his trident and plowed right through the man. When he exited into the next street, he came upon a standoff. Several of Talwen’s mages stood in a ring covered by a mini replica of the dome that had once protected the city. About fifty of the reiver worshippers surrounded them, including a few spell-casters of their own. Despite their best efforts, the believers were unable to breech the transparent dome. The offensive spells the believers cast at it bounced off in random directions blasting holes and setting fires wherever they struck. A single sorceress hurled balls of flame from within the shield. She was doing considerable damage to the enemy forces while her fellow mages kept the protective field strong. Not too far from that struggle a large hole had been blasted through the pearl-like wall, by stray magic no doubt. Beyond the opening lay only the rolling plains and darkness.
“Just what I was looking for,” the gladiator grinned.
He quickly spun about and prepared to make his way back to the inn. He had found their way out. It was time to get the others and escape this death trap. Talwen did not look like it would stand for much longer.
* * * * * * * * * *
Nivit flew as fast as her little butterfly wings would carry her. “Mr. Ado, help! It’s going to eat me!” The fairy screamed as she darted towards the doorway to the chamber where the gremlin was hiding.
Ado peeked out from under the bed in fear. That did not sound good at all. He wished he knew some way to divert her path. What trouble was that fairy leading his way?
“Stupid, stupid fairy,” he grumbled nervously.
He could see that Herrin and Gringey were close behind the tiny winged girl. “Ado, summon a portal!” The sage shouted. “We have to get out of here, fast!”
Ado mumbled a curse before he began mumbling the words to his new transportation spell. He warned them to forget about the goblin. Maybe next time they would pay more attention. The gremlin was panicked. Where should he take them? He pictured the annoying gnome’s workshop in his head. It was a rash choice. But, where else in this confusing town had he been for any length of time? Out of nowhere, a tall robed figure stepped into the center of the room. Nivit squealed in terror. She was flying straight for the reiver’s waiting arms. She was barely able to angle out of the figure’s path. The girl spiraled off to bounce across the bed that Ado was still under. The negative energy the creature radiated was draining, and it even caused the little mage’s invisibility spell to fade away. The reiver spun about to face the bed where Nivit was climbing to her feet from under the tangled sheets. Ado released a piercing scream as the monster turned to face his direction. At the same moment, a shimmering circle appeared to the side of the bed. His portal hung there, just out of reach. Instantly, the hooded head of the figure twisted down to stare at the gremlin. The little mage shook with fear and shrieked again. He leapt into the air in a dive for his portal and a quick escape. The reiver was quicker. Its long arm flashed out, blocking his path and knocking him to the floor. The mere touch hurt with a chilling sting. The reiver’s other jerking fist reached out for the stunned little mage. Nivit darted from the bed’s surface, grabbing the gremlin by his green cloak and dragging him into a run for their lives. Ado was too addled to fly and the fairy was too small to carry him. The robed creature began to shamble awkwardly towards them. It moved quickly in freakish, jerking motions.
Herrin was in the doorway screaming out to them. “Fly! Fly for the portal! Don’t let it touch you!” The old woman clutched her chest tightly with fear in her eyes.
Nivit and Ado screamed in unison as the creature cornered them. Its bluish arms shot out as it leaned over to grab them.
“No! Leave them alone!” Herrin cried out in futility. The old woman looked for anything that she could throw at the creature. Nothing lay within reach.
Another scream sounded as Gringey bounded onto the hunched creature’s back. The goblin child was not particularly heavy, but he was strong for his size. His sudden and unexpected interference took the reiver by surprise. It was already off balance leaning down to grab at the tiny folk, and now goblin and monster fell forward into the wall. Ado took his chance and flew as hard as he could past the tumbling folds of robe. He had Nivit’s wrist in a tight grip. He dragged the girl along through the air behind him. Both of them screamed at the top of their lungs as the reiver tumbled over them.
“Get into the portal!” Ado shrieked at the old woman as he flew like a bat out of hell.
Herrin saw the reiver rising to its feet again. She also saw it toss the goblin child out of the window to the bedroom. The sage’s hand flashed to her chest again. The sight of the child being hurled through the window from the second floor with there being nothing she could do about it pained her dearly. The sage tumbled more than stepped into the portal with Ado and Nivit practically on top of her. All three went screaming and spiraling through the tunnel of light. The reiver was fast. It lunged for the fleeing fairy. A hand with four gnarled fingers reached for the portal, but it closed just before the creature touched it.
The three companions went tumbling through the disorienting jaunt. Their heads were still dizzy when they appeared in the air over the street. They were about fifteen feet up and all screamed again, when they fell to the ground with a painful thud. Herrin landed on her back, on a small, busted table. A group of potion vials lay strewn about her. Ado landed on an open book. The book was lying atop a singed door with a broken sign that read: knock before entering. Nivit was the lucky one. She bounced off a small dog. The animal whimpered and then growled as it ran into a nearby alley. Busted shelves and broken tables littered the street. Small animals scurried for cover in every direction. It looked as if the gnome’s entire workshop had simply fallen out of the air and crashed to the street below. There was no sign of the colorful little man anywhere. Fortunately, for them, there was no sign of any trouble, either.
“That was close,” Ado sighed as he sat upright checking his body for injury.
“That was a reiver, wasn’t it?” Nivit whispered softly. “It almost got me. Thank you, Mr. Ado, but what happened to poor little Gringey? He saved us.” Ado only shrugged and looked away. Even if he did feel bad for the goblin, there was nothing he could do about it.
Herrin was in se
rious pain. The old woman managed to stand, but her back was hurt and her arm was surely broken. “My arm,” she moaned as she slumped to her knees.
“Oh, Herrin,” Nivit darted to her side.
“Check those potions, maybe there’s one that can heal you,” Ado suggested as he, too, flew to the old woman and then scanned the streets nervously. “We should hurry, though. Who knows what will come our way next.”
“How will Mr. Tark find us now?” The fairy questioned.
“We’ll just have to find him,” Herrin groaned as she tried to adjust her back.
The first vial she picked up held a black liquid inside. The sage quickly tossed that one away. The second vial held a pink vapor.
“I can guess what this is,” she winced.
Ado shrieked so loud that he startled the woman causing her to drop the vial to the stone street. She and Nivit both looked to see what was causing the tremlin’s reaction. A white-hooded head was sticking out of the air sideways. It was as if the creature were peeking through an open doorway. It hung just to the side of them.
“No!” Herrin gasped.
“It found us!” Nivit screamed. Tears were already streaming down the tiny girl’s face.
