by Scott King
"I'm going to be sick. Please, by The Silver Lady's hand, don't let me vomit again." Kenzie ducked below the windowsill and covered her mouth as she gagged. "The smell is worse than the taste."
The hut and platform that had fallen with the ollip were now crushed under a pile of twisted shell and broken bones. If anyone had been inside, they were now dead.
"That's not natural." Carter didn't see any traces of agyls being used and didn't know of any combinations that could have caused such an effect. He supposed it could be high magic, but outside of Master Owen and the witch woman from the Cartena incident, he had never met anyone who could work real magic.
"Carter!" Red flooded Doug's cheeks, and he frantically waved his arms. "Pay attention. We are going."
Gideon, Alex, and Kenzie were already out the door with their gear in tow while Doug held both his own and Carter's travel sacks.
"Hustle!" Doug's voice transitioned into a threatening growl.
Carter followed Doug onto the platform surrounding the cabin. With the ollip in front of theirs down, the rope bridge that would have led to it hung trailing in the dirt. Alex, Kenzie, and Gideon descended it like a ladder.
"Look out!" Kenzie called to Carter.
A shiny blur whizzed past Carter's neck. He heard a thunk and turned to see an apple-sized ball sticking to the door. It had metallic needles like a bur, and the cracks along its surface pulsed with a maroon light. It was magic. He could see the strands, but he didn't know what kind of magic.
"We don't have time to stare." Doug wrapped his arm around Carter, and before he could object, Doug jumped off the platform.
The bur exploded, or at least that's what Carter figured it must have looked like to everyone else. With his second sight, he saw the truth. Dozens of prözrupta agyls were bonded together, and on impact, the bond broke, releasing a blast of wind, but also a huge wave of pressure.
Had they been standing on the platform, it would have ripped them in half, but thanks to Doug, the wave hit them midair, catapulting them.
They spun out of control, soaring over the trees, and crashed into a particularly large sycamore. Sticks and branches scratched Carter's arms and legs as they fell, but Doug held the boy tight and shielded him from the worst of it.
Carter stood, and already he could feel an aching sensation down his back. By tomorrow, he would be covered in bruises. "Are you alright?"
"No," Doug said. "Our bags are going to smell like damp leaves for days."
Carter took that as a sign that the former dragon wasn't hurt. "We need to find the others." The forest was old with no shrubbery and wide spaces between the trees. Even being able to see twenty or so parses in all directions, he had no idea which way the road was.
Doug nodded over his shoulder. "That way, but they are coming to us."
"How do you know?"
"I can hear them."
By the time Doug got to his feet and brushed away the twigs from his thick hair, Gideon, Alex, and Kenzie had arrived.
Kenzie wrapped her arms around Carter and kissed him on the cheek. "You're alive!"
"Barely," Carter said. "What the heck happened back there?"
"It's the Red Hounds," Gideon said. "A nasty bunch from out west that take particular delight in hunting dragons and doing other dastardly things."
"Why would they be here or in the Freelands at all?" Carter asked. The second the words passed his lips, he knew why. They had to be after Doug. It was the only thing that made sense. Yet, how could anyone know that he had turned Doug into a human?
"We go to where we are paid to go." A mannish thing sat straddling a branch above their heads. It was short, would not reach Carter's shoulders, but it had long hairy arms that stretched past its knees. It wore a ruby-colored metal chest plate, and in its hand was metal bo staff. The creature rolled backward, falling off the branch. It somersaulted and landed on its feet. "It's been a long day. I hate traveling. All I want is a cold ale by a fire. So let's be mature about this."
At the same time, Alex and Gideon drew their swords.
"No need to get all close and pointy," Carter said. "I'll blast him with a spell. Easy peasy and we'll be out of here."
The monkey-man swung its staff. He moved so quickly it was a blur.
A strike landed in the back of Carter's knees. He hit the dirt, falling on his back. Then the man-thing shoved the tip of the staff against Carter's throat.
"What are you?" Carter asked.
"I am Mogul."
"But what are you?" Carter stressed the word what 'cause whatever Mogul was, it wasn't human.
"Leave the boy be." Gideon sidestepped, putting Alex behind him.
Mogul winked at Carter and broke into a back handspring, flipping over Gideon. The speed was unnatural and reminded Carter of how Doug possessed enhanced senses and strength.
Gideon brought his sword over his head, deflecting an attack from Mogul. He then threw his entire body at the monkey-man.
Doug pulled Carter to his feet, and the two of them, along with Alex and Kenzie, stepped back, ceding the space between two large pines to Mogul and Gideon.
Metal clashed against metal. The blade ground the staff, sending sparks into the air.
Gideon had the advantage of height and strength, but Mogul was faster, which made the fight more even.
Gideon's moves were defensive in nature, not leaving himself open to attack, while Mogul ferociously beat at Gideon as if to wear him down.
"You can't win this fight." Gideon kicked Mogul in the chest.
Mogul rolled, flipping back to his feet. He grinned and blood drizzled off a gash in his lip. "This fight was never about winning. It was about stalling."
Gideon's eyes went wide, and he spun in the opposite direction.
Carter followed Gideon's gaze and was shocked to see three approaching figures.
"Hello, sorry about being late. That hill was a bit steep for me," a woman said. She wore no armor and had layers of clothing wrapped around her as if staying warm was a constant struggle for her. Her hair was white and curly, peeking out through a hooded shawl. She easily had as many wrinkles as Owen did. In the crook of her arm, she held a woven basket filled with the explosive burs.
"Not a problem, Cooke," the monkey-man said. "We were merely making introductions while we waited."
"Oh excellent, manners are important in these dark times," Cooke said. The old lady then tilted her head to the brute of a man who stood beside her. "This is Bash. Say 'hello,' Bash."
"Hello." Bash stood taller than Doug and Gideon by two parses. His legs were thick, like tree trunks, and unkempt auburn hair hid his face. His clothing was patched together from multiple fabrics and too skimpy for anyone to feel comfortable. With both hands, he held the shaft of a war axe that rested against his shoulder. "Pleasure to meet you."
"That's enough Bash," Cooke said. "We do intend to kill them. There is no need to give the wrong impression."
"Sorry, Headmaster." Bash puckered a lip.
"I know I said I would kill you, but you can make this easier." Cooke reached into her basket and withdrew one of the metal burs. "Give us the dragon, and the rest of you can walk away from this."
"You all are crazy." Kenzie turned heel and bolted deeper into the forest.
"No, don't," Gideon yelled. "We have to stick together."
Kenzie didn't stop.
"Death to all of you then." Cooke twirled the bur she held and pressed the end with her thumb. She winked and then tossed it underhand toward Doug.
The bur hit the ground, rolling to a stop in the damp leaves.
"I think not!" Doug stomped on the bur, burying it into the dirt.
The bur ruptured, and the ground shook with rippling waves.
"You stupid taintson!" Cooke sneered at Doug "This whole region is limestone and chock-full of limestone caves."
"Headmaster!" Bash wore a horrified expression and covered his mouth with one of his giant hands. "You said..."
The grou
nd broke into cracks, sliding under Carter's feet.
Unable to keep his balance, Carter rolled backward.
Dirt gave way beneath him, opening a sinkhole.
A cracking roar ripped through the forest as the nearest trees went root-up.
"Carter!" Doug dove for Carter, but was too slow.
A tree crashed between them, and the earth swallowed Carter.
He curled into a ball, trying to protect his face. The world swished by so that he couldn't tell which way was up and which was down.
Dirt and rock filled his nostrils.
Something hard bashed his temple and then hit him in the small of the back.
He landed sideways on something hard and felt something heavy collapse on top of him.
Laying there, Carter heard a low ringing in his ears. He knew he wasn't moving, but it felt like he was. Waiting for the spinning to fade, he practiced breathing slowly and calming his nerves. Once sure he knew which direction was up, he tried to rise to his knees, but discovered his left leg was caught on something.
Tracing the air above his chest, he drew kölprufta. The agyl snapped to life and shone with a strong, white light. Carter lay in a shallow cave. The ceiling collapsed inward with rocks and a broken tree blocking the way out.
The fork of a branch pinned his left ankle, trapping it. He delivered three hard stomps with his right boot, and it snapped.
He rolled over, intending to stand, but the sense of vertigo was too strong. He feared his eardrums might have ruptured. If so, there was little he could do about it.
Minutes passed, but it felt like hours. The pain eased, and so did the spinning sensation, which allowed Carter to climb to his feet. Like a toddler crossing between pieces of furniture, he staggered, using the wall of the cave to steady himself.
The limestone cave was natural. It twisted in a downward slope with the walls practically joining in several places. The ceiling was barely taller than Carter himself, and the walls were wet with water trickling down into lower caverns.
It was possible that there would be no way out of it.
Carter tapped his magic. He pulled it forth, not as an overpowering force, but as a slight sip. "Prosentä!"
The air around him bent to his will, but instead of forcing it to submit, he allowed it be and instead felt it. It stirred, suggesting a draft.
He cut the magic off and proceeded deeper into the cave. A draft suggested a way out. That was good. Now he needed to find it.
After about ten minutes, Carter reached a intersection of four tunnels. He was on an upper branch. Ten parses below was a still lagoon, and seated beside it was Cooke. The old woman sat cross-legged. Next to her was the deadly basket of burs.
"You." Her lips curled up. She tilted her head and opened her eyes, staring at Carter. "I thought I was the only one who ended up in this abyss."
"Nope," Carter said. "I'm here too."
Carter tapped into his magic again. This woman had tried to kill them at least twice. No reason to give her another chance.
"We've met before," Cooke said.
"What?" Carter's focus slipped, and feeling confused, he looked down at her.
"I saw you when you were a child. Soon after Owen took you in."
"That's creepy."
"My point is that I've been studying magic since before you learned to stop pissing yourself. This isn't a fight you can win." Cooke stood, wincing. She stretched and then picked up her basket of burs. "Help me find the dragon, and I'll let you live to see Owen again."
Someone had to have made the explosive burs, and whoever did knew magic. It was possible Cooke wasn't lying. Of course, true magic was a mental thing. If Cooke was a magician, then the best way to shake her up was to mess with her focus. "If you knew Owen, why has he never mentioned you?"
"Because Owen refused to teach me. He used you as a reference, saying your own strength as a toddler was more than I would ever have."
"You shouldn't feel so bad about being weak. It's not your fault. I am a great magician." He patted his chest this time, trying to make his bragging as large and flashy as possible. "You saw Doug, right? I did that. I turned him from a dragon to a human."
Cooke moved her free hand and traced a pattern in the air. Sölbrumta. Instead of finishing the agyl, she let it hang in the air. Before it could fade away, she whispered to it. Carter could feel the higher magic. It was weak, but it held enough power to alter the agyl.
Carter had no idea what it would do, but knew it would be bad. He couldn't let her finish. Using his own agyl would take too long, so he did what he thought she might not expect. He slid down to the lagoon and rushed her while shrieking at the top of his lungs.
A twitch rattled Cooke's left eye. She looked from the warped agyl to Carter and appeared to lose focus. The agyl flashed and faded away.
"You are an insolent brat," she said between gritted teeth.
Carter continued to yell incoherent words. A moment of reprieve could be enough to allow her to regain her focus.
Cooke swept her arms in a large arc, tracing kölprufta. Carter had but a moment to try and shield his eyes. Light flared, changing the cave to resemble the brightest part of day. It dissipated quickly, but Carter's eyes took another five minutes to adjust to the darkness. When they finally did, Cooke was gone, and he was alone once more.
Cooke must have fled, but he couldn't figure out which direction she had taken, nor did he see any signs of magic being used. His only hope now was to find the others before coming across anymore of the Red Hounds.
10
Betrayal
Ornsday, 11th of Hearfest, 1162.111
The longer Carter stumbled through the cave system, the more his body ached. His eyes felt dry. His legs kept cramping in the cool air. His back and arms were so bruised that every step was filled with pain.
Twice he thought he heard fighting or shouting and changed the direction he was walking, but neither time did he locate any of the others. It was maddening to know that friends and enemies were near, but for all the magic he knew, nothing he was aware of would help him find them.
Carter pinpointed the draft he had felt earlier and meticulously tracked it to its source, an opening just large enough for him to crawl through. The tunnel opened onto a thin ledge that was two parses wide. A quarter of a league down, an unbroken forest stretched. Golden light from the freshly risen sun reflected off the trees' canopy, bathing the rocky precipice in a warm hue.
Having the sun to orient himself, Carter figured he was looking west at the Garan side of the mountains, which meant if he wanted to find the road, he needed to head in the opposite direction.
Carter heard a woman scream. It had to be either Kenzie or Alex.
The narrow ledge wrapped around a bend, and as fast as was safely possible, Carter shuffled up. It rose and connected to a wide, U-shaped bluff. Carter stood on one side while Doug, Kenzie, and Bash, the giant man, stood on the other. Between them was a chasm with a deadly drop. It would take minutes for Carter to run around and reach Doug.
Bash, twirled his axe, shepherding Doug and Kenzie to the cliff's edge.
"Do something," Kenzie said.
"Like what?" Doug asked.
"Like something Carter would do."
From across the chasm, Carter heard Doug's low, rumbling groan.
"Alright you taintson, you want to fight, let's fight." Doug stood his ground, and when the axe came toward him, he caught the top of its shaft. Grunting, he pushed back toward Bash, and the metal pole bowed.
"That's not nice." Bash let go of the bent axe pole and grabbed Doug in a bear hug. "Manners matter."
Doug kicked his feet, but had no leverage to break free.
"Apologize," Bash said.
"You are trying to kill me!" Doug said. "I'm not apologizing for defending myself."
"Not for fighting. Fighting is life," Bash said. "You said a bad word. That's wrong."
"Attacking people is wrong too, but that hasn't stopped y
ou or your friends!" Kenzie lifted the head of Bash's oversized axe to belly button height. She rocked it back and forth and flung it at Bash.
The curved axe blade sliced through the front half of Bash's right foot.
Bash dropped Doug and fell onto his butt, pulling his injured foot toward his chest. Tears ran down the man's cheek. "I will pop both of your heads."
Kenzie heaved the war axe at Bash again, though he saw it coming this time and rolled out of the way. As if he had completely forgotten his surroundings, the man-giant rolled right off the cliff. A blood-curdling scream filled the air, and as abruptly as it had started, it stopped.
From where he stood, Carter could see a smear of blood against the light-colored stone at the base of the cliff. No one could live through a fall like that.
Kenzie pressed herself against Doug's chest. "I didn't mean to kill him."
"You saved me, and I don't know if what you did counts as you killing him," Doug said. "There was something off about that guy."
Carter made his way to the pair, and Doug gave a sigh of relief. "I saw what happened," Carter said. "It's not your fault Kenzie."
"I'm a monster." Kenzie's sulking bloomed into full snotty tears.
"You alright?" Doug asked. "I wasn't sure if you had survived that bur going off."
"Hurting, but I'm still here," Carter said. "Any sign of Alex or Gideon?"
"No," Doug said. "And I don't think we will see them. I'm pretty sure they were working with the Red Hounds. I heard Gideon talking to the monkey-man. There is some history there. I'm glad you are alright. I thought..."
Kenzie's crying drowned out Doug's voice. She pushed her face deeper into Doug's chest, and he stumbled as though caught off balance by her weight.
"Easy there." Doug awkwardly patted her back while soundlessly pleaded to Carter for help. He was out of his league.
The crying became wailing, and Kenzie slammed her palms against Doug's chest. She repeated the action, only this time she hit Doug hard enough to propel him into the air and off the cliff.
