Apparition

by Tom Liberman

  “Watch out!” said Marianna in a voice a little too loud.

  “Be quiet,” hushed Mike but then spotted the event that caused the red-haired girl to cry out. An older boy had picked up a piece of wood and was swinging it careless. He almost smashed a younger boy who ducked away and ran behind the house.

  The other children took note of the older boy, who was a human or half-breed, and began to back away from him. He picked out a small gnoll boy who was walking with a limp and chased him down quickly.

  “No,” said Mike with wide eyes as he smashed the club down on the injured leg.

  The other children stood and watched except the little goblin girl who got up and began walking over with her blanket dragging behind.

  “At least she’s tough enough to do something about it,” said Rhia as the girl approached the downed gnoll boy. She smiled at the club wielding boy and then kicked the boy on the ground in the injured leg. The boy gave out a shriek, the little girl smiled, and kicked him again.

  “What is this?” said Rhia starting to stand up.

  “No,” said Mike grabbing her by the belt and pulling her back down. “You were right, this is dangerous. We have to be careful.”

  At that moment a tall man wearing a gray cloak came out of the building and began shouting at the children who stopped what they were doing and stared at him. His gray cloak was clearly once worn by a Gray Knight but it was tattered and dirty. He had an unkempt beard and he walked over to the club wielding boy and cuffed him hard across the jaw. The boy went down in a heap and the little goblin girl started to kick the downed boy until the man took her by the collar and tossed her away.

  “Play!” he said loudly enough for them all to hear and then walked back into the house only pausing to look toward a shed that stood in the far corner of the yard.

  The children returned and began to play their lackluster game.

  “It’s a trap,” said Rhia. “Someone is waiting in the shed. They want us to see the children playing and come down.”

  “Maybe,” said Mike. “But these kids don’t know how to play.”

  “They know how to hurt,” said Marianna watching them closely. “They learned it from somewhere.”

  Rhia looked over at the pale girl and suddenly felt very sad, “I’m sorry,” she said.

  Marianna shrugged, “What do you have to be sorry about?”

  It was Rhia’s turn to shrug, “I don’t know. Just that you understand what those children are feeling. I wish no child had to feel that way. To understand that sort of thing.”

  Marianna turned to Rhia and spoke with a snarl on her lips, “It’s not your fault so stop feeling bad.”

  Rhia opened her eyes wide, “What’s your problem?”

  “Nothing,” said Marianna suddenly going back into her shell.

  “Listen …,” said Rhia.

  “Be quiet,” said Mike. “We need a plan and we need to stop fighting with each other. I’m still the leader of this group whether you like me or not,” she went on looking over at Rhia.

  “That’s true,” said Rhia and after a pause. “Everything you said.”

  “If there are people in that shed they’re going to get hot eventually. They’ll need food and water unless they took it in there with them. They’ll need to go to the bathroom. We can wait them out but is this the best place to do it?”

  “We can wait them out,” said Rhia nodding her head. “You’re certainly right about that but if we wait too long won’t Sunbringer and the others return from the tournament?”

  “If he’s still alive,” said Mike.

  “Agreed,” said Rhia. “If he’s still alive won’t he be coming back with who knows how many others? If we wait for that then there’s not much we can do about those kids.”

  Mike said nothing and looked over at Marianna, “What do you think?”

  Marianna looked down at the children attempting to play their game and said nothing for a long while.

  “Marianna?” said Mike.

  “I think we should go down there and kill whoever is teaching those children to hurt each other.”

  Rhia looked over at Mike with a grim look on her face, “I don’t disagree. We can’t just watch and see what happens. We need to get down there and find out exactly what Sunbringer is planning and who he is working with to make it happen. We’re not going to learn anymore just standing up here watching. We can watch forever. Eventually you have to do something.”

  Mike nodded her head, “I agree. Let’s assume there are three armed soldiers in that shed. Rhia, if you were setting up some sort of ambush would you have other people waiting or just those in the shed?”

  Rhia looked around, “There are bound to be people in the house as well. We know there’s one rough looking fellow in there and there could be a dozen more.”

  “Maybe,” said Mike. “That’s a lot of soldiers and you have to assume that some of them went with Sunbringer to the tournament.”

  Rhia nodded her head, “Yeah, that’s true. Maybe no more than three or four more in the house and someone to take care of the children. We know there’s no one up here with us but we came from the wrong side of the river. They’d be expecting us to have arrived from over there,” she said pointing to the south. “They would never expect us to cross the river and then swim back here.”

  “Probably not,” agreed Mike nodding her head. “So if they were expecting us to come from the south along the river they’d want to set someone to watch on that rise over there I’d guess.” She added pointing to a little hill to their left that overlooked the river.

  “That’s what I’d do,” said Rhia giving Mike a nod. “Marianna, you watch the hill and see if there’s any movement. I’m going to keep my eye on that shed and Mike you watch the house for a bit. We don’t need to rush quite yet. We’ve got time on our side for the moment.”

  The three sat in silence each with her appointed task and bent upon doing it well.

  “There,” said Marianna suddenly pointing to the hill.

  By the time Rhia and Mike looked whatever the girl saw was gone.

  “I don’t see anything,” said Mike.

  “It was a man,” said Marianna. “I saw his armor glinting in the sunlight.”

  “I’ve seen movement back and forth in the house but it’s impossible to say how many. Anything from the shed?”

  “Not much,” said Rhia looking at Mike. “I don’t want to wait too long. If Sunbringer wins his match he’ll be back with more soldiers soon enough. How do you propose we go about the attack?”

  “I think we go around to the back of the house and break in the door. We take care of anyone in there. The people in the shed maybe will hear and run in but maybe not. Either way we kill the people in the shed as they come out to help. By the time anyone up in the hills gets down here we’ll be in position to either run or deal with them.”

  Rhia nodded her head with a grim look on her face, “It’s a good plan. Have you ever killed anyone before?” she asked Mike.

  Mike shook her head, “Have you?”

  Rhia nodded her head, “I have one time when I was traveling north. Someone thought they’d take advantage of me and I killed them, but it all happened so fast. This is calculated. We have to be ready to strike and kill. If we hesitate, if we wait, they’ll be on us in numbers we can’t defeat.”

  Mike also nodded her head her lips turned down, “I’m ready.”

  “Marianna,” said Rhia. “Do you think you can kill someone?”

  “I know what they’re doing to those children,” said the girl and pulled out her bow. She took an arrow into her hand and looked at the other two, “What are we waiting for?”

  Rhia looked at Mike and nodded, “Let’s go. Lead the way.”

  Mike slipped back down the hill and went north around to where they would approach the little house from behind. It took them ten minutes to get into position but the backyard seemly largely deserted although as ill-kept as the front. There was
no sign of any children back here. “Come on,” said Mike standing up and moving swiftly to cross the gap between their cover and the house.

  Mike moved swiftly and quietly while Rhia easily kept up with her, although making more noise. Marianna brought up the rear with the bow at the ready and an arrow already nocked. Mike arrived at the back door first but Rhia was right behind her and put her shoulder to it in stride. The door burst open, Rhia tripped and tumbled in followed by Mike and then Marianna.

  A young mixed-race girl with a dirty face and matted hair stood by a sink piled with dishes. She had on little more than rags and a long chain attached to a shackle around her ankle trailed to a heavy metal post that stuck up from the middle of the floor. She looked at the girls with wide eyes and said nothing.

  A voice shouted out from another room in the language of the gnolls and a woman of that species came into the room brandishing a short wooden paddle. By the time she arrived Rhia was standing next to Mike with her sword at the ready.

  The woman screamed something and rushed at Rhia with the paddle only to be cut down in a shower of blood as the half-orc’s blade nearly decapitated the gnoll with a single precise strike. A jet of blood splashed across the room in an arc spraying Marianna and then splashing the wall and ceiling.

  Rhia immediately dashed through the open door the woman came through and Mike went after her. Marianna spotted a second door to her left and kicked it open while pointing the bow into a filthy room behind which at least three children sat on the bare floor, none of them with a stitch of clothes. The ill-shaven man they spotted earlier was looking the opposite direction. He pulled out his blade, “Bitches!” he said and started to move forward but Marianna put an arrow into his neck.

  He turned around with wide eyes, the front half of the arrow protruding from his neck, started to say something, but then fell to the ground his hands scrabbling at the arrow.

  Marianna stepped over his struggling body and spotted Rhia cutting down another swordsman while Mike stood face to face with one of those demonic looking gnoll warriors who stood nearly eight feet tall and had a long, whitish horn protruding from the right side of his head. The creature had a sword at his belt but instead of drawing it simply lunged at Mike with long claws.

  A quick flashing of her blade, two fingers fell to the ground, and the beast shrieked. It reached for its sword but was unable to pull out the blade with its crippled hand and opened its mouth exposing long fangs. Rhia’s blade came down on its head at the same moment Marianna’s arrow pierced its eye. It crumpled to the ground in a shower of blood.

  Mike looked back at the children on the ground but they were silent and only stared at the carnage around them.

  “The shed!” said Mike and turned toward the front door of the cabin. It was unlocked but she had a little trouble with the handle and fumbled with it for a moment while Marianna and Rhia almost danced with frustration.

  “Open it already!” said Rhia with wide eyes. “Hurry!”

  “I’m trying,” said Mike.

  Marianna heard a creak behind her and saw the oldest of the nearly naked children with a small knife in his hand moving over to the warrior with the arrow in his neck. The man was still moving feebly as the blood continued to pour out of his neck.

  “Got it,” said Mike and Marianna turned as she opened the door. The trio burst into the yard where all the children were now standing still looking with open eyes toward the home. The older boy still had the makeshift club in his hand and he said something and charged at Rhia.

  “Cover the shed,” said Rhia to Marianna and easily deflected the strike from the boy. The wooden club shattered before Rhia’s steel and he looked at the stump that remained his hand with wide eyes. He snarled, a guttural almost animal sound, and charged Rhia with it raised about his head.

  Rhia dodged aside easily and chopped his wrist to the bone with a strike that seemed almost gentle.

  The boy shrieked, dropped his club, and fell to his knees clutching at the wound with his other hand. This seemed to wake the other children who started screaming and running in all directions.

  The shed door burst open at this moment and one half-orc tumbled out and fell face first into the mud patch in front of it while a gnoll warrior burst out behind him and stepped on his back as he ran toward Rhia and Mike.

  Marianna fired off three quick shots toward the doorway but didn’t stop to admire her results. Instead she turned to look at the hill in the distance to see if anyone was coming from that direction. So far the attack had either gone unnoticed or the people on the hill were still organizing their response. She then looked around to the river and a small wooded area but saw nothing dangerous. It was only when she turned her gaze back to the yard that she saw something.

  Her arrows had knocked down one of the men coming from the shed and wounded a second who knelt on the ground clutching his right shoulder with his left hand. Mike finished cutting the throat of the first man who fell through the door but it was the young goblin girl that caught Marianna’s attention. She was moving quietly and stealthily behind Mike and had a small knife in her hand.

  “Drop the knife!” said Marianna loudly and the girl along with Mike and Rhia looked over to her.

  “Behind you, Mike,” said Marianna nocking another arrow on her bowstring. “Drop the knife,” she repeated.

  The little girl smiled a hollow-eyed sort of smile and kept coming forward.

  “Drop it!” repeated Marianna for a third time. “I’ll shoot!”

  The girl grinned again and launched herself toward Mike who was backing away.

  Marianna let go of the arrow and it plunged with such force into the little girl’s chest that she flew back and her head smashed into one of the loose stones in the yard.

  All three of the girls stared at the lifeless corpse of the little girl for a long moment. A bird suddenly burst forth into song and awoke them from their stunned silence.

  “The hill!” shouted Mike recovering first and pointing to where Marianna spotted the watcher earlier.

  Marianna and Rhia turned to look at the hill and there was a man up there his armor glinting in the sunshine but he appeared alone and he was not moving toward them.

  “Watch for the other children,” said Rhia somberly looking around at the house and the yard. The kids had scattered in different directions and none of them seemed to be around now. “They might try to take us unaware.”

  Marianna turned all around but if any of the children were left there was no sign of them. “They might have gone into the house,” said the red-haired girl looking to the structure which showed the clear signs of neglect this close up. Where there was paint it was peeling and the gutters were clogged with debris. Water stains marred the walls and mud wasp nests were everywhere.

  “He’s thought better of it,” said Mike looking up on the hill where the man disappeared as he headed in the other direction. “He’ll be going back to the tournament to warn Sunbringer and the others that we attacked.”

  “Let’s find out what’s inside then,” said Rhia looking to the house only pausing to clunk the wounded man at the shed’s door on the head with the butt of her sword.

  “Watch out for any kids,” said Marianna. “They might be in there hiding.”

  Mike nodded her head. They went back in the front door and began to search the place. The only child that remained was the one chained in the kitchen but they let her be for the moment as they searched. There was a basement where clearly unspeakable things were done to the girls and there was also equipment reminiscent of what they found attached to Marianna when they rescued her.

  Marianna busied herself destroying it all with a hammer they found along with other neglected and rusting tools.

  “Let her be,” whispered Rhia to Mike as the two watched her violently attacking the equipment. While Marianna was busy with this task they continued ransacking the place. They found a comfortable room in the cellar with cots for five adults. Another secti
on of the basement was clearly for the children as the stench was overwhelming and a dozen moldy piles of rags apparently served as beds. There was nothing in the way of personal effects to tell one from the other.

  In a pantry they found a recently butchered deer and a keg of potent ale but little else in the way of food or drink.

  Upstairs they found some comfortable bedrooms and in a small room there was a thick iron cabinet of some kind. It took them a while to find the key on one of the bodies but eventually they opened it and found bundles of parchment with strange writing on it. There was also a bag filled with gold coins and some gemstones exactly of the same kind as Borrombo carried.

  Mike took one look at the papers, immediately realized they were not in a language she understood, and bundled them all up. “We’ll take these back to Lofo,” she said. “I’m certain there’s enough evidence here to figure out what Sunbringer is doing and if he’s connected to Pillswar!”

  Rhia nodded her head, “We need to hurry up. If they come back they might have dozens of warriors with them. They can hire as many gnoll mercenaries as they want with this much gold.”

  Mike nodded her head, “Marianna!” she shouted for the girl was nowhere to be seen. “We’re leaving now. Meet us out front. Come on, Rhia.”

  By the time they got to the yard there was no sign of the girl. “Marianna,” called Mike looking around. “Do you think something happened to her? One of the children?”

  Rhia shook her head, “I was with you, how would I know?”

  “Marianna,” shouted Mike again.

  “Marianna!” boomed Rhia in her deeper and louder voice. “Where are you?”

  “I’m here,” came a faint voice from around the side of the house.

  Rhia and Mike looked at each other and then walked around to where they heard the voice. They found Marianna by an old well. The thing was crumbling and there was no bucket or rope to pull up water. Marianna was kneeling by the well with something in her hand.

  “What is it?” asked Mike approaching the girl.

  Marianna held up a small bone. It looked like an arm bone perhaps although Mike was not an expert in such subjects.