The Dwarf brushed himself off indignantly and scowled at me, but I didn’t give a shit. He could wait.
“Take me to him.” I rounded on Sarah in full this time, taking her by the shoulder. Then a thought struck me. “Better yet, let’s swing by the tavern and grab Jaken so he and I can look at him.”
She winced, and I realized that I had accidentally grabbed her too hard. “Sorry about that.”
I sent a mental call to my friends, and they agreed to meet us outside the tavern. We jogged to grab them, then took off to where the village healer’s cottage was near the square but in the opposite direction of Sir Dillon’s place. It was just that, a simple building made of roughly carved half logs stacked and nailed together with mortar between each slat. There was a porch with a person outside taking a drag from a pipe. As we approached, they stood and waved kindly.
“He’s resting now, Sarah. You just left,” the person said patiently. “He has not awakened since you brought him to me, and there is only time until he wakes up or not. The healing after that is up to his body.”
“Is that all your skill will allow?” I asked. “Did you use any spells? How about healing potions? And what do you mean he hasn’t woken up?”
“Well, Traveler, I do not have the affinity for magic that some others do. I am a mundane physician. I use medicine and knowledge of the body to heal. We did not wish to use potions as it has been a fight to set his broken bones and clean his wounds and because we did not know that they would help his injured mind.”
“Jaken here is a Paladin of Radiance and has some powerful healing capabilities. Let him take a crack at healing his body,” James suggested.
The healer considered it carefully, then nodded and beckoned for Jaken to follow. As they went inside, I turned to Sarah.
“Sarah, what the hell happened?”
“Someone found Da laying in an alley near the other inn on the outskirts of town beaten, bleeding, and unconscious.” Her voice cracked slightly, but she caught it. “Barely alive, Zekiel. Da is the strongest person I’ve ever known, and they beat him nearly to death.”
“Does anyone know what happened?” Yohsuke asked.
“A wee lass says that there were five of them, shouting and yelling at someone before the fight broke out. They saw a figure with black fur and a tail standing over his body just before running off after the rest of them. That last figure was the only one that was really seen.”
“Motherfuckers!” I swore. “I’m gonna find out who the hell did this. You guys in?”
“A chance to work out some of my anger? I’ll take two,” Bokaj responded easily. The steely look in his eyes was telling.
James punched his open left palm and nodded along with Yohsuke who just smiled threateningly.
“Jaken will want in too. Rowland trained him in smithing.” I nodded and began to think, to plot.
“There have been rumors in the last few days that people have been seeing things in the forest as well. Lights. Shapes. A hunter has disappeared, maybe others—I’m not certain.”
I nodded. So this once peaceful village was now being targeted? But by who? War? A minion? I sure as fuck hoped it wasn’t a general. We were in no shape to fight another one of those without Balmur.
We needed more information, and if there was something going on in the forest, I knew just who I could ask.
“Anyone know if Dinnia is around?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” Sarah shrugged. “I haven’t heard anything about her here lately, and I don’t really see her come into the village at all.”
I nodded. Jaken came out of the cabin a moment later.
“I healed him.” He sighed. “He’s still out, but his body is set to rights. Maybe we can summon a Celestial again to heal him if he doesn’t wake up again soon?”
“That sounds like a good idea, man,” Bokaj clapped. “Why don’t one of you guys go ahead and do that?”
“Hefty cooldown,” Jaken said simply.
“Yeah, it’s a twenty-four-hour cooldown. Neither of us can use it until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Not to mention, you all heard what Samu said, only in great need.” I looked over at Sarah, the hope on her face easy to read. “We’re going to do what we can for him, okay? Just let us try and get this sorted out.”
I heard a derisive snort from behind me and turned to see Craglim walking up behind me.
“Ye’ll likely get hurt out there, wee fox.” He eyed me, then my friends. “ I sees ye like to comport yerself with kin—Elves—bah. They do nay know to fight, I’m betting. Probably couldn’t even hold an axe. Scrawny, the lot of you. I’ll be gettin’ at whoever brought me cousin low, do nay fret.”
Yohsuke and James stepped up beside me, not to fight but ready.
Jaken held a hand out in front of the pair and glared at the Dwarf, who blatantly ignored him. Like it was beneath him to even notice the Paladin or his Fae-Orc avatar. Or his armor was hiding a lot of his body. I looked to be certain.
Yup. He wore his full mithral battle rattle, helm, and all, so he was covered head to foot in the badass light blue metal. Thank the Gods.
“I don’t know what you’re getting at, but we were the ones to free this forest of War’s influence. We killed his minion. We killed his general. And if you don’t chill the fuck out about my friends, I’m gonna do more than toss you.”
“Bring it.” He spat on the ground and splayed his hands wide in challenge.
“Craglim,” Willem spoke as he walked up the road to our right, “They tell the truth. Rowland was one of the first to call them friend. They lost one of their own trying to fell a powerful foe and are well known to the Mugfist, Light Hand and Stone Hammer clans.”
“Zeke and Jaken both follow the Way,” James added.
“Good. All are equal along the Way.” Craglim nodded but looked at us hard. “But that do nay mean I got to like either of ye. Or any of ye, for ‘at matter. Me kin needs me—here I am. If yer gonna go and find the gutless worms, I’m comin’.”
“No.” Yohsuke snorted. “Fuck no. We can’t trust you to watch our backs out there with Gods know who trying to kill us.”
James nodded and flipped him the bird. Bokaj just watched coldly.
“Fine. You can come,” I said, glancing coldly at my friends, “but if you slow us down, we leave you behind. If you get in the way, we tie your ass up and bring you back to the village and go on without you. You betray us or get my friends hurt in any way, and I will kill you myself.”
All three of my tails flicked at the tip in annoyance, and I flattened my ears at the threat. I didn’t give a shit if he believed it or not—it was what would happen. I’d had too many fucked up things happen to me and mine lately to let some bigoted Dwarf screw things up.
“I can agree to ‘at.” He grimaced as he looked us over. “I say the same of ye. Do nay get in me way. If I find proof ye had a hand in this, I’ll brain ye meself. When yer ready to leave, I’ll be at the forge. Do nay leave without me.”
He turned and walked away after that, grumbling about the audacity of the Fae. He had no idea. I looked to my friends, and they stared back expectantly.
“He’s going to fuck up whatever we try to do covertly anyway, intentionally or not. At least this way, we know where he is, and what he’s up to.”
“Respect,” Bokaj said after a moment. He came over and bumped my knuckles with his.
“That’s probably true, though I don’t fucking like him,” Yohsuke said.
“Me either,” James added. “Fuck that guy.”
“Same. But we need to keep him close just in case. I’m gonna go try and talk to the bears and see if they can tell me anything about what’s going on in the forest. You guys can do what you need to—may want to restock on some potions and other consumables. I know I need some. There may be a stand in the square where they hawk stuff run by a teen and his little sister, may have an adult there too, but I don’t know for sure. Be generous if you can. They were pretty cool
last time. See you in a while.”
I shifted into my fox form and took off into the forest. I bounded through the tree line and stopped by a large oak tree to check my map for the spot I wanted to go. It was largely grayed out, but the waterfall was easy enough to find. I placed a marker there and began to run. I followed my path, dodging in and out of trees and over brambles here and there with relative ease.
I took a moment to survey my surroundings before entering into the area around the lake and waterfall. I couldn’t smell anything outside the normal scope of scents that I had caught on my way here—mice, voles, and other small prey animals. I caught the scent of a wolf and a faint scent of Sharo, Dinnia’s panther companion. It was a little disconcerting that I hadn’t scented a bear, but they could be leaving this area alone out of respect or maybe fear?
I shifted again into my Ursolon form, that of a twelve-foot-tall bear with brown fur and white stripes like a tiger. I easily weighed around twelve-hundred pounds, and it was all muscle, baby.
I stood in the center of the same area that my sparring match with Marin took place, then the battle with the pack of Insane Wolves attacked us. Then the fight between the corrupted bear and finally giving her her final request. My chest tightened at the thought of her dying, but it was how she wanted to go, how she deserved to go, and I had carried her sacrifice with me into battles that her protection had helped see me through.
I took a deep breath and let it go. This was no time to dwell. I reared up to my full height and roared as loudly and as long as I could. Then I shifted back into my fox-man form and waited.
After forty minutes, someone had come to investigate. I cast Nature’s Voice, a spell that allowed me to speak with animals. A large bear with black fur and beady, black eyes cleared the foliage at a sprint. It saw me and came up short in surprise.
“Hello,” I said simply.
“Hello, Friend of Bears.” She snuffed the ground and followed it to me. “You heard that too?”
“That was me, sorry. I needed someone to take me to Queen Kyra. I have a favor to ask, and she may be able to help me. Can you take me there?”
She snuffed my chest before butting her head against it. “Yes. Follow me.”
She turned, and I shifted into my fox form just to be safe. If someone saw my Ursolon form chasing after her, I could get fucked up. I mean, I was entering bear territory, and if a large animal was chasing my friends, I’d come in ready to beat ass, so fox it was for now.
We lumbered along for a good hour before coming to a halt outside a wooded hillside with a yawning cave mouth.
We stopped so I could shift into my fox-man form and recast Nature’s Voice.
The inside of the cave was large enough that dozens of bears milled about with space to spare and greeted us as we stepped through the structure. A few snuffed at me before returning to their various activities. A popular one was feigning slumber.
“Hello, friend,” greeted a light voice from up ahead.
Queen Kyra, her eight-foot bulk of light brown fur stood before me twenty feet away. Thayron, her mate and a dire bear with dark brown fur, raised his head and paw in greeting.
“It’s good to see you, Kyra,” I greeted her as we both closed the distance. I gave her a hug, and she patted me with both her paws. “I’m sad it can’t be for a happier reason.”
“Oh?” She tilted her head. “What is the nature of your visit then, friend?”
I filled her in on the rumor that I had heard. She scowled and called to the bear who brought me here. “Filbran, have you heard of these lights?”
“No, my Queen,” she chuffed at the air, “but I will seek others to ask. Please, wait here, Friend of Bears.”
I smiled at her. “Thank you.”
She huffed and took off at a slow saunter, then cut right outside the cave mouth.
“You smell different.” Thayron’s breath blew across my ear. “Wrong. Like a different kind of predator.”
I turned to see the great dire bear hovering close to me with his nose wrinkled as if it smelled something distasteful.
“A lot has happened since I last saw you,” I admitted. “I’m… more than I once was. Let me see if I can explain.”
I told them about how we had been exiled to the Fae Realm, then captured by the Werewolves there. They were led by Pastela, the crazy alpha who wanted her people to thrive and wanted to have perfect pure-bred babies with yours truly. She wanted to use those puppies and get to taking over the realm and all those who looked down on her and her people. Normally, I’m all for the underdog, but she had beaten the shit out of me when I wouldn’t cooperate and then threatened my friends. Not to mention, she gave me the gift of lycanthropy. Even fantasy worlds had their communicable diseases.
Made me wonder if there was a shot for that? Fuck, I hate needles too. I’d be so screwed.
They listened quietly, though Thayron grumbled a little when I told him that the form he had gifted me was now less needed due to the Fae version of a bear. It acted kind of like an upgrade.
“What is this ‘ursolon’ creature like?” he asked curiously. “Is it big? Strong? Can you show us?”
“Yes, I am fascinated as well,” Kyra agreed, “but we will need to discuss the Lycanthropy a bit more. Do you have it under control?”
I thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’m an alpha now since I killed Pastela. It makes it easier to control the change and rage that threaten me with it. Though, I don’t know if there will be anything I need to worry about with the phases of the moon. She hadn’t mentioned anything about it while I was there. It’s a new moon now, and I haven’t transformed to find out. Other than that, I feel in control.”
“We will alert our sentries and scouts to an apex predator in the area and that they are not to engage with you unless you try to harm them.” Kyra waved another bear who had been watching closely over and whispered to him. He glanced at me, and I smiled reassuringly before he scampered off. “I trust that if you feel you are a threat to anyone, you will take precautions?”
“Like, lock myself up?” I asked incredulously. Then I realized—she was thinking of the safety of her people and probably even the safety of the village as well.
She didn’t know if I could keep the Werewolf and its cursed gift at bay, and looking at the concern and the musky scent emanating from her now, she was terrified.
“Yeah. I will. I’ll have my friends make some chains and keep me under guard if I can’t keep it under wraps.”
“Thank you for understanding, friend Zekiel.” Thayron bumped my chest with the back of his clawed paw gently. “That was a hard question to answer and harder still to ask. Come, show us this new form, and let us away from these unpleasant thoughts.”
They stepped back respectfully before I shifted. I stood taller than the dire bear, and he growled in delight at seeing me. The other bears that remained in the place came over and began to familiarize themselves with my scent. One even rubbed herself against me like a cat. She trundled off with other bears sniffing her along the way. I shifted back, much to the dismay of the bears around me.
“And are you stronger than a normal bear?” Kyra asked.
“I’m not sure,” I replied teasingly. I was. A lot stronger, to be truthful. “I’ve got a good amount invested in my strength stats, so there’s that. Having fought a few of them, it took a great deal of skill and effort to take one down. Imagine me behind those claws.”
I waggled my eyebrows at him suggestively.
“Oh, I bet.” Thayron chuckled. He brought out a large piece of meat and started to munch on it.
“Thayron, that’s rude.” Kyra huffed at him. “I know you eat when you get emotional, but he’s still our guest.”
“Yes, dear.” He tossed the meat back behind him. “Forgive me, Zekiel.”
I waved it away. Honestly, I’d prefer he not be hungry around me.
My guide came back into the cave huffing. “There have been reports of lights and strange
movements in the south of our territory along the river, Majesty.”
“Anything else?” the bear Queen asked. “No? Okay, I will dispatch a group to investigate. Then we will see what is going on.”
“Actually, Kyra,” I interjected, “why don’t you leave that to my friends and I? We think that this may be a site for someone we want to investigate. A friend of mine was hurt, and a villager has been taken. We will take this; you keep your people safe. How does that sound?”
“Unacceptable,” she said sternly. “Our neighbors are being attacked. If there is something I and my people can do—then we shall.”
“Kyra!” I called out to her, and she looked back at me. “Look, I appreciate you wanting to help us out, but these people have us to help them.”
Thayron grumbled from where he sat, scratching his rotund belly with three clawed digits. “And what, you come every time someone claims to see a snake?” He stood and padded closer until he looked me in the eyes. “We know of your purpose here, Druid. The Mother has told us. We are of a mind simply to help our neighbors and you by extension.”
“If you would simply be as wise as I hope you to be, you would allow friends to aid you and these people in times to come, especially from friends such as us,” Kyra rebuffed me softly, but the held disappointment was there. Like a kindly teacher or friend’s mom who you adored, and you had caused their faith in you to be shaken.
Me, being the grown-ass man I was, powerful, strong, and independent, immediately broke down and muttered, “Yes, ma’am.”
Kyra chuffed once and turned to walk toward the front of the cave. Thayron grabbed what was left of his meat and winked at me before trotting after her. A retinue of bears, five including the queen, stood outside when she was finished.
“What are you going to do?” I asked, trying to step in front of her path away. “You aren’t going to go there yourself, are you? What about your people?”
“No, friend Zekiel.” She giggled. “I am going to your village to speak with the leader there. I want to try to foster a better relationship between our peoples and offer what I can. You are perfectly capable of offering translational support, yes?”
Into the Dragon's Den (Axe Druid Book 2) Page 5
