Consequences (Majaos Book 2)

by Gary Stringer

  Mounting up once more, Tanya chose to sacrifice some stealth for speed, and issued that command to her subordinates. Widening the area covered by their horses, they were able to expand their picture of the maze. Tanya had always excelled at spotting patterns in complex systems and even the most chaotic system usually contained an element of order, especially if it was a system designed by sentient beings. People were not very good at complete randomness. Mazes were always built on a pattern - after all, the people building it needed to remember how to get out. This maze was vast, but even with a relatively small fragment to work with, the Knight Lady was reasonably sure where the nearest exit ought to be. Spurring their horses, the Knight quartet cantered through the trees. Eventually the man on Tanya's left flank pointed out a jagged grey rock in the distance. It was distinctly out of place here, matching none of the surrounding natural features. It was at that moment, that Tanya first heard the cry for help.

  They responded according to the Knights' code, galloping to the rescue. Tanya saw that she was correct about the maze and it seemed there was a person or persons unknown trapped down there. Tanya and one other Knight dismounted, leaving the other two to keep watch and protect in case of attack. The rock was a marker, Tanya confirmed, for there was a large pit nearby, cleverly covered and hidden by means of a wooden latticework, supporting leaves and ferns, with natural wild growth providing further cover. One could easily pass by this way without ever knowing it was there. It also seemed quite sturdy; Tanya believed that her entire Knight division could ride right over it without risk of falling in. Down in the pit were a half-elven male and a very attractive human woman.

  “Get us out of here!” the half -elf pleaded - a cry punctuated with a slightly muffled roar that echoed down the tunnel. It sounded as though it was made by a creature of almost dragon proportions, but Tanya was pretty sure it was no dragon down there.

  “And sooner rather than later, if you wouldn’t mind!” the young woman added, with a glib attitude that seemed quite inappropriate under the circumstances. Still, there was no telling how any one individual might react to stress.

  The other three Knights each tied a strong rope to the wooden grillwork and attached the other end to his horse's harness.

  “We've managed to cause a cave-in a way back there,” the half-elf offered, “But I'm not sure how much longer it’ll hold the thing back.”

  The Knights were just mounting up when there came an almighty crash and rock dust billowed out of the tunnel in a great cloud, choking the three individuals closest to it.

  “Not-Not very long, I'm afraid,” the woman spluttered, between coughs. At Tanya's signal, the other three Knights spurred their horses to charge, typical Knightly discipline maintaining a perfect straight line. The ropes uncoiled and pulled taut. With a resounding crack, the wooden grill broke open under the power of the charging war-horses. A heartbeat later, Tanya had a rope ladder lowered down the pit and Tanya quickly slid down to guard the two individuals while they made good their escape. The human girl climbed up first, swiftly followed by the half-elf. The latter still had one foot on the ladder when a huge grey-skinned creature burst into the open. It possessed no scales or hair, but the smooth, naked skin of an amphibian. Its forelegs were like tree trunks, built to support its great weight. Hind legs were absent on the creature, locomotion being achieved by means of a long prehensile tail that looked not unlike a giant grey leech. Tanya had always been fascinated by the study of nature and her observations of this creature suggested to her that it could move in sudden great bursts of explosive energy, its tail acting like a great coiled spring, launching the body forward. And the great head, framed by a shield-like crest, hooked, beak-like jaws, and the eyes...those eyes...

  “Don’t look into its eyes!” Someone shouted in warning. Tanya immediately slammed down the visor of her helm. The vision slot was designed to allow clear vision of a human-like enemy and protect against being blinded by dragonbreath from above; the angle required for looking up at this creature's eyes was now simply impossible.

  Tanya knew there was no chance of her moving fast enough to get out of the pit before the creature struck her. Therefore, she was prepared to fight, broadsword and tower shield in her hands. Inside she was terrified, but her strict training and discipline held her together to face death with calm dignity - at least on the outside.

  The two rescued parties had other ideas, however. The half-elf began shooting arrows at the beast - mere pinpricks at best - but then he threw in a mithril-tipped projectile and that penetrated, causing pain if not actual bodily harm. Showing intelligence, it was now more cautious of this wooden rain.

  “I’m going to try some Shadow magic,” Bunny said to the three male Knights, “but without a Catalyst, I only have a few magic tricks up my sleeve, so I suggest you pretty boys get her out of there while the thing's distracted.”

  The Knights did not waste time arguing the toss over taking orders from a civilian, or her disrespectful form of address, but saluted in acknowledgement. Two of them crouched at the edge of the pit, ready to pull Tanya to safety. The third stood on standby to assist where most needed as the situation unfolded.

  Bunny whispered a quick prayer - to any god who was willing to listen to a creature that was not part of their great plan - that her magic would not fail her at this critical point. Meanwhile, something had been bothering Phaer...it was so hard to remember these things that were half-heard in childhood, or more likely overheard. How was he supposed to sift out the truth from the legends, myths and dark elf propaganda? But there was definitely something nagging him about basilisks...and about magic...

  “Bunny,” he began, “I'm not sure you should-” But it was too late; she was already committed to the spell. She unleashed her power at the Basilisk, but the magic hadn't even reached its target before the creature launched itself at an unbelievable speed, straight at her. The sumorityl's natural, instinctive defence caused her physiology to change to that of a vampire, but even she wasn’t fast enough. The impact sent her flying across the forest floor, eventually coming to a halt in some bushes more than fifty yards distant. Phaer reacted with elven agility, sprinting to the nearest tree, vaulting and swinging himself up to sit on a high, sturdy branch - a vantage point from which he could fire his arrows. The wooden sticks were nothing more than an irritation to the beast, but it seemed unable to understand where his unseen assailant was. If the ranger only could only keep the basilisk distracted, it would give Bunny - who was miraculously still alive, if a little groggy - a chance to perhaps find some safety.

  He cursed his memory. “I should have remembered,” he berated himself. “I should have remembered!” However, his actions had given the Knights the time they needed to get organised. With the basilisk gone from the pit, Tanya Nightingale had been able to climb up the rope ladder unaided. A heartbeat later, all four Knights were mounted up and riding a short distance to one side. Two of them lowered their visors, wheeled their war-horses around and accelerated rapidly. Halfway through the charge, they each picked their lance from where it was attached to the saddle and tack, smoothly lowering it to a horizontal aspect. The basilisk was taken completely by surprise as the Knights hit their target with a loud impact, lances penetrating its hide in two places. Roaring in pain and rage, it swatted one of the lances with its right leg, flinging the weapon to one side. The Knight was lifted from the saddle and impacted a nearby tree with a bell-like clang. He dropped to the ground like a broken doll and lay still.

  Such use of its leg, however, had forced the basilisk to use its tail for support, effectively rooting it to the spot, which was precisely what the Knights wanted. Tanya came charging in with her partner, the remaining member of the first pair withdrawing complete with lance. The perfect timing was a marvel to behold. There was no way they could even have seen a picture of a basilisk before today, yet it seemed to the treetop ranger as if these Knights had been fighting basilisks for years. Again, their skill and training prov
ed equal to the task, penetrating the already bloodied hide twice more. The basilisk swatted Lady Nightingale's lance aside, but expecting the move, Tanya had already let go of her weapon. She pressed her attack with her sword, dodging and weaving on her agile dapple grey. Meanwhile her partner pulled his lance free and withdrew.

  This time, the two male Knights attacked together, but one swung around to attack the opposite flank. By desynchronising their charge, they were able to take advantage of the creature's repetitive behaviour. The first Knight connected as Tanya's mount jumped well clear. As predicted, the basilisk tried to swat it away. The Knight let go and withdrew as his partner connected with precision timing from the other side, aiming squarely for the other leg. It worked better than they had dared hope. The lance penetrated at the shoulder joint and the now injured leg could no longer support the basilisk's bulk on its own. The beast crashed to the ground.

  Discarding their lances, the Knights drew their swords and encircled the fallen basilisk as best they could, there being only three of them.

  Before Tanya could give the command for any further attack, however, the half-elf shouted out, “Stop!”

  Bounding down from the tree, he ran towards the Knights, waving his arms wildly. “Stop!” He repeated. “Don’t kill it!” Without waiting for a response, he pressed, “It doesn't want to fight anymore - it never really did. It took us both a while, it being rather out of practise and me being only halfelven, but we've found a way to communicate.”

  “Communicate?” Tanya wondered, raising her visor to better see him. The halfelf waved his hand to indicate a correction to his choice of words. “Well, I’m not sure if it'ssentient, exactly, but it's certainly intelligent. You're lucky it’s been in hibernation for so long - its mind and body haven't quite got going yet. Otherwise the outcome of this battle would likely have been quite different.” He paused and implored, “Let it go. Please.”

  “What!” Demanded a familiar female voice. Phaer turned to see Bunny, still in full vampire mode. She was limping slightly, skin and clothes covered in patches of blood, but relatively fine, considering.

  “It won’t attack anyone except in selfdefence,” the half-elf assured her. “It instinctively hates magic; that's why it went for you.”

  “That monster killed that Knight-” “Killed?” Tanya gasped. There had not been an opportunity to examine her fallen comrade. When they were such a small group, the Knights' Code - and basic battle prudence - demanded that the enemy be killed or incapacitated first.

  “Well, if he’s not, I suspect he soon will be,” Bunny replied. “There was certainly plenty of blood!” Phaer was worried that she seemed pleased that there was plenty of blood. Thinking of blood, he noticed she had some on her face– from her injuries, or…? He preferred not to think about the `or`.

  “Two of us almost dead and it's only just got free,” Bunny continued. And you,” she poked Phaerin the chest, “want us to let it go? If you won't finish this thing, I will...I wonder what Basilisk blood tastes like. Probably not as exotic as dragon blood, but still.”

  She was acting very strangely: aggressive and belligerent in an erotic kind of way. Her vampiric face displayed an extremely dangerous hunger and most frightening of all, was the way she seemed to be enjoying it. She exuded sex appeal - even more than usual - making Phaer both attracted and horrified at the same time.

  The ranger tightly grabbed her shoulders, held her at arm's length and looking unflinchingly into her eyes, he told her to snap out of it.

  “Bunny, this is not you! Something's got a hold on you and you've got to fight it!”

  Meanwhile, the basilisk had regained its feet. It kept its eyes deliberately lowered, but made no attempt to move.

  Bunny struggled, though not with the strength Phaer believed she possessed, for it was not enough to break his grip. “It's a dangerous monster and it must be killed!” She shrieked.

  “There are those who would say the same thing about you!” He snapped back, immediately regretting it.

  Bunny stopped struggling almost instantly, her face returning to its human form. Hanging limp in Phaer's arms, she looked mortified at her behaviour. There were even tears in her eyes.

  “Maybe they're right,” she sighed.

  Phaer felt moved to pull her close, but she pushed away his affection. She moved to one side and sat down on the grass, head in her hands.

  “It would seem I have a decision to make,” Tanya said. “You say it is not normally a predator?”

  “Only to cattle,” Phaer answered. “And then only if it’s really starving.”

  “I see, and is it true that looking into its eyes can turn a person to stone?” “As I recall, that’s misstating the fact. Say rather that it can turn you to stone if it makes eye contact with you.”

  “The difference being?”

  “A leopard has teeth and claws that can rip a person apart, yet I have often walked right by where one was lying in the sun. Should I have killed it?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Why not? It's a dangerous animal, a predator, it might harm someone.”

  “Yes it might, but unless it actually does, it has as much right to live as we do...Ah, yes,” the Knight scout agreed, responding to the ranger's pointed look. “I think I see what you mean.”

  The two uninjured male Knights looked to Tanya for orders, and she gave the signal to dismount and tend their injured comrade.

  They were allowing the basilisk to leave.

  At Phaer's projected reassurance, the basilisk began to walk away, slowly but inexorably, its injuries healing before their eyes. It seemed to refuse to alter its straight line course for anything - great old trees crashed to the ground, flattened as easily as blades of grass. Tanya got the impression that once this creature got into its stride, the very mountains would do well to move aside if they happened to be in its path. She agreed with Phaer's assessment - it had been cold and slow, just out of hibernation. A second battle now would already have been much different. Suddenly the Knights' oh-so-effective lances looked like twigs.

  “I thank ye for thy most timely rescue, my Lady,” Phaer offered in his best Knight -speak. “And thine display of compassion towards the basilisk is, methinks, an act most noble. Thou art surely a true Knight.”

  Tanya removed her helm, shaking out her wavy brown tresses, swiftly followed by her armoured gloves. Phaer took her small hand, marvelling at how soft and delicate she seemed, yet so strong and confident. Phaer was certain he had never seen a more magnificent woman in all his years.

  “Thy thanks art surely unnecessary, for it is ever the Knight's honour and privilege to provide assistance and aid to those who art in danger. 'Tis indeed a pleasure.” That last word was somewhat lost in a giggle and then quite suddenly, she was laughing out loud. Shaking her head, she said, “I’m sorry. I'm afraid I wouldn't make a very good Knight of Paladinia. I know I shouldn't make fun of my brothers and sisters in arms, but the way they talk...” she confided, quietly. “Isn't it silly?”

  “I've never dared say so in front of one,” Phaer quipped. Tanya laughed again. “Probably wise,” she agreed. “Even more so if it's one of those Dark types.” She shuddered. “All those skulls and dead things they use to decorate their armour...besides,” she giggled again, “black just isn't my colour.

  “Sorry,” she apologised again. “I’m finding it a little hard to control myself. Exhilaration after a tense battle always sets off my giggles. It’s highly inappropriate, but I just can’t seem to help it. Sorry, where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself. Knight Scout Leader Lady Tanya Nightingale, Cavalry Division, Knights of Balance.”

  Of course: silver armour, the half elf thought silently. “Phaer of the House of the Fountain,” he replied out loud. “Well then, Phaer -” she paused as one of the other Knights approached, saluted and informed her that he had been able to heal their fallen man sufficiently to enable him to travel. Apparently this Knight was also a cleric. The
Knights of Balance were the only one of the three Orders to include warrior-clerics trained and included as fully-fledged Knights, Tanya explained.

  Military healers in full combat armour; it was not hard to see the advantages, Phaer considered. Tanya told her subordinate to tie him to the saddle so he wouldn't fall off, and then be prepared to move out. “Worthwhile though this has been,” she said, “we still have a scouting mission to accomplish and quickly.” The Knight-cleric saluted and moved away again.

  “Well then, Phaer of the House of the Fountain,” Tanya resumed, “You seem to know a lot about basilisks; I thought they were a myth.”

  “So did I,” the ranger admitted. “But if the childhood stories I heard are true - and today lends pretty solid evidence that they are they were magically created in Ancient times by the dark elves.”

  “And how would you know about dark elves?”

  “Because he is one,” said Bunny, who had crept up silently. “Or at least, half of one.”

  “I see. And you are?” Tanya prompted.

  “Bernice Ardra.” To Phaer's surprise, she did not offer her nickname.

  “Miss Ardra,” Tanya mused. “Vampire, but not a vampire. Human, but not human.”

  “That's me,” Bunny agreed, apparently back to her usual flippant self. “Like the basilisk, I too was created as an experiment in magic.” Tanya raised her eyebrows. “A sumorityl and a half dark elf.” She paused for a moment, as if considering the implications. Then she burst into a grin and offered her hand to shake. “It's a pleasure to meet two such rare individuals! Now, you can tell me more about yourselves as we go - that is, if you will accompany us?”