Ritual of the Lost Lamb

by Charles E Yallowitz

  “I don’t trust him,” Kira whispers into Sari’s ear.

  “Nimby or the Lich?”

  “Both.”

  “Me too, but we don’t have a choice.”

  “Do we?”

  “If we want to bring Luke home then we deal with the traitor and the monster. Go home if you want, princess, but I’m seeing this through to the end.”

  “No need to get aggressive, gypsy. I’m not leaving either, so let’s get moving.”

  With the necrocaster unleashing a torrent of pestering shout spells at them, Sari and Kira jog to catch up to the gaunt halfling. They are surprised at how quickly he walks, especially when they see that his thin legs are constantly shaking. An arrogant chuckle comes from the skeletal arm as the enchanted ring glints in the sunlight. Nimby scratches at the limb and appears to be unaware that the edge of his broken flesh has curled back enough that the pale lip comes off at his rough touch. No longer comfortable with the situation, the two women keep their weapons ready and pretend to watch the trees for danger.

  *****

  Sari and Kira are driven back by the sudden chill that greets them at the edge of the strange cluster of forest. Staying within the humid jungle, the travelers gaze at the towering oaks that stand bare in a patch of winter weather. The ground is covered by a sea of tangled vines that have long thorns tipped with a mild poison. A thin layer of frost covers every surface making the inevitable climb to the canopy even more dangerous. They can hear animals moving and calling from within the underbrush and branches, a permanent fog making it impossible to get a clear look at the creatures. Flickers of shadows make them nervous as the adventurers think the beasts resemble birds, but sense that they are something a lot deadlier. A stiff breeze does little to clear the hazy cover and the wind routinely shakes snow from the lower branches, which adds to the terrible visibility.

  Changing into warmer clothes, the women keep a cautious eye on Nimby who is stuck on the other side of an invisible barrier. The halfling remains sitting on a rock and poking at the crackling wall with a stick that eventually bursts into flames. Pulling a stack of papers out of her pocket, Sari hands half of the pictures to Kira and opens her mouth to speak. The cautious heiress quickly puts a finger on the gypsy’s lips and shakes her head for silence. Nodding in agreement, the champion mentally prepares herself for the inevitable shock of cold and climbs the nearest tree. She perches on a branch and lowers a rope for Kira, the warrior stopping halfway up to remove her slippery gloves. Once in the canopy, they pick a path to search for the plants that the Lich requires for summoning General Vile. The adventurers are careful as they climb and leap among the trees, stopping whenever they come across a plant growing out of the oaks. After thirty minutes, they decide to pluck one of each herb that they come across to avoid missing anything.

  Spotting a cluster of colorful flowers growing near the top of the poisonous vines, Kira moves further down the tree. Shimmying onto a thick branch, she flips to hang by her legs and one arm while stretching for the plants. The snap of a twig causes her to reach for her weapon, which she partially draws as a hissing creature bursts from the undergrowth. The beast resembles a small cat with sticky skin that has collected a layer of the toxic thorns. It catches Kira by the back of her shirt, which is loose enough to prevent the animal from biting deep in her flesh. She can still feel its teeth graze her skin while frantic claws scratch at her arm. Not wanting to be dragged into the deadly vines, the heiress tries to beat at the creature’s hindquarters with the blunt end of her weapon. The club adheres to the predator’s body, giving it more leverage to crawl toward the woman’s defenseless face. Its foul breath hits her nose as she releases her other hand and swings lower to the ground while gouging at the cat’s eyes. A thorny claw swipes across her chest to deliver the burning poison, which threatens to weaken Kira’s muscles and send her crashing into the vines.

  The sturdy branch shakes as Sari lands and sits on her friend’s legs, the immovable gypsy preventing the other woman from falling. She hurls a dagger into the predator’s head, the death blow causing the animal to jerk and go limp. The flexible champion bends backward and uses an ice-coated blade to remove the dead body off of the kusari-gama. Hearing more of the beasts moving in the underbrush, Sari hoists herself back onto the branch and reaches down to pull her friend to safety. A snort of amusement escapes the gypsy’s lips as she watches the heiress take advantage of her immovability and pluck a few herbs before lifting herself up.

  “You think Nimby was lying about there being an anti-undead barrier?” Kira asks as she spread a magic gel on her wounds. The ointment stings as it prevents infection, the sensation barely noticeable against the burning poison. “The Lich could be creating those sparks and really wants to stay out of danger. Maybe even get us killed. This dark pool that will summon General Vile sounds very vague too.”

  “For the last time, we don’t have a choice,” Sari snaps while pulling out the pictures. She folds the ones that she has found and fans the remaining three out for Kira to see. “Let’s see what we have left. That should give us time to rest. With any luck, we’re done here and can leave. Are you going to be okay?”

  “I can already feel the poison’s effects disappearing,” the heiress says while using her sickle to poke holes in some of the pages. She does the same to two of the gypsy’s pictures before holding out the last one in her hand. “Aside from that cat, I’d say this shopping trip went rather smoothly. We each have one herb to go. I suggest we memorize these pictures and search in different directions. Call out if you find either one and I’ll do the same. As long as we stay away from the ground, we should be safe.”

  “Unless there are other dangers.”

  “If you want to stay together then lead the way.”

  “That would be best.”

  “Just give me another minute to rest and we can head out.”

  “I’ll be right back. Going to climb higher for a better view.”

  Sari clambers through the thinning branches, the limbs never getting weak enough that they break beneath her weight. She is surprised to find that even the highest point is able to hold her without snapping and sending her careening into the vines. A cold wind whips at her face and she shields her eyes as she scans the area. She notices many of the branches are shaking as if a creature has recently jumped from them, but there is nothing in the canopy. Dark forms flit through the murky sky and black feathers drift from above, one of them sticking to a solitary leaf bud. The birds refuse to get closer, making it impossible to tell if they are a threat. When the fog clears a little, Sari can see that one of the missing plants is growing from the top of an oak to her left. She is about to make her way to the other tree when she hears a wooden creak that is too loud to have been caused by the wind.

  Clambering back to Kira, the gypsy stops halfway down when she hears the noise again. A shuddering branch is the only sign that she is not alone, which causes her to stop and stand with her back to the trunk. Not wanting to make any noise, she pulls a piece of hard bread out of her pocket and tries to drop it on her friend’s head. Bouncing only twice, the food narrowly hits its target and startles the heiress enough that she nearly falls. Looking up with a scowl, Kira holds out her hands to silently ask what is going on. Sari points to her ear and does her best to sign that an animal may be hunting them. It takes a minute for them to understand what they are trying to explain to each other, the conversation stopping when both women point at separate sources of danger.

  Kira leaps away from another cat while Sari avoids a creature that is covered in wrinkled skin. A pincer-like tail jabs for the gypsy while the beast scales the tree using the long claws on its seven-fingered paws. The blunt end of the kusari-gama swings from around the trunk to hit the champion’s attacker in the side, but the falling animal stretches its floppy ears to grip a lower branch. The adventurers scramble up the oak until they are high enough to leap into another tree, which quivers when Kira drives her sickle into its de
nse bark. Catching Sari by the wrist, the heiress cranes her neck to see that the predators are fighting. It is a short squabble with the cat getting driven back into the underbrush by the more aggressive creature. Snapping its tail at the only available prey, the hissing beast jumps for the dangling gypsy. With a grunt, Kira hauls the shorter woman out of the way and swings her to a branch. The creature lands with a dull thud and is stunned from the impact, the disorientation being enough for the lurking cat to pounce and kill its rival.

  Taking advantage of the distraction, Sari leads the way to the top of the oak where she claims the needed flower. She has no time to enjoy the victory as she looks down to see more of the aggressive felines jumping into the branches. Kira is fending them off with her kusari-gama, but she is forced to aim for the tree or risk getting her weapon stuck again. Touching the trunk, Sari sends a layer of ice along the wood to stop the predators from getting closer. They are able to break the thin coating with their claws, but the obstacle slows them down and gives Kira a chance to clamber up to the gypsy. Branches creak and bend while the adventurers look for an escape route, every other oak too far for them to reach.

  An idea comes to Sari and she taps her companion on the shoulder before pointing at her enchanted boots. Kira can only nod as she kicks the nearest cat in the nose and forcefully yanks her boot free of the sticky skin. With a grunt, the gypsy launches herself off the tree and gradually floats toward the vine-covered ground. A second later, she feels someone land on her shoulders and sees the kusari-gama’s chain wrap around a branch. As she is reeled across the open air, Sari grabs the first oaken limb that comes within reach and they climb to safety. The relief is short-lived when they see that the cats are refusing to give up, their muscular hind legs tensing to rocket them towards the two women. With a chorus of snarls and hisses, the predators pounce together and hurtle across the large gap.

  Drawing her daggers, Sari is suddenly aware of creaking wood even though the wind has died. The cats are almost on top of them when one of the oaks twists and swats all of the beasts out of the air. Many of them remain stuck to the branch, which is pounded against the earth and plunged into the soil to scrape the hissing animals off. Groaning and yawning, the sentient trees free their root-like feet from the dirt and cover the base of their trunks with the dangerous vines. Eyes and mouths sprout from the bark, the faint visages looking vaguely human. The oak that Kira and Sari are in attempts to shake them loose, but they hang on tight and rapidly climb to avoid the same fate as the cats. They reach the top of the tree only to realize that the jungle is too far away for them to reach without bounding among the wooden giants. Hearing a chorus of complaints, the adventurers are certain that they would not get very far anyway.

  “Why you take Oakind stuff?” asks their tree, continuing its attempts to shake the travelers out of its canopy. The creature pushes its brethren away to prevent them from trying to help and possibly breaking a branch. “We wake to find strange monkeys. Look like axe beasts, but smaller and smell different. Monkeys give stuff back. Oakind not smash if give back.”

  “We’ll return what we don’t need, but the rest is necessary,” Sari announces, locking her body to avoid getting tossed off. As she grips Kira’s arm, she notices that one of the distant trees has Nimby in its branches. “We’re with the tiny monkey. He needs these herbs to save our friend. In fact, the red herb in the eye of that one over there is needed too. It’s really important that we gather these plants before our friend dies. If it helps, he’s also this woman’s mate and she’d be heartbroken if we fail. The tiny monkey can explain everything.”

  “No see tiny monkey,” the Oakind says while looking directly at Nimby. The creature leans forward and sniffs at what it thinks is a patch of rotten mushrooms. “We need follow cold home now. Die if stay longer. Want stuff back, so you come too. Make deal like Oakind. Pretty for pretty or food.”

  “We do have some shiny stuff,” Kira mentions, holding up a diamond sphere. A chorus of laughter greets her offering, so she hands the money to Sari since she expects the gypsy to take it eventually. “Those are the only pretty things we have. It isn’t like you have a use for clothes or weapons. Tell us what you eat and we’ll see what can be done.”

  The creatures walk toward the south, the jungle shifting to create a path that is swallowed behind them. “Oakind eat sun and water and wind. Have enough of this. You give us special food. Absorb from soil and give strength. Only flesh things can make special food. Oakind give needed pretties for this.”

  “What would this special food be?”

  “Red stuff.”

  “Oh, this is not going to go well.”

  *****

  The Oakind make a circle around Kira and Sari, their thorny vines filling in the gaps to prevent escape. Yellow eyes can be seen within the thickets, the animals that thrive among the trees waiting for an opportunity to strike. They are kept at bay by the mild smell of rotting flesh wafting off Nimby’s arm, the Oakind having yet to acknowledge the pale-skinned thief. After watching the sentient trees interact with the jungle, the adventurers assume that they can only see living things. Due to the Lich’s aura, the halfling is mistaken for a collection of dry leaves or a rotting carcass. The situation has allowed him to wander the circle and climb the simple-minded creatures without fear of being attacked. He stays away from the final herb after having tried to take it once before, the result being a slight panic among the Oakind. Considering him nothing more than dead matter, they will not think twice about stepping on Nimby if driven into a stampede. He takes a seat on a low branch and playfully wiggles the fingers of his skeletal hand in front of the tree’s shifting eyes.

  “He seems to be enjoying this,” Kira mutters, not wanting to draw any more attention from their whispering captors. She touches the frayed edges of the cuts in her shirt and frowns when she remembers how much the garment cost. “Knew I should have packed cheaper and taken at least one outfit for warm weather. I’d like to point out that we probably could have reached Shayd by boat and scaled the cliff by now. Be quicker if we took griffins out of Gaia or you asked the sea elves for help.”

  “And the Baron would be there to greet us at the front door,” Sari retorts while juggling her stiletto. Frustrated by constant the criticism, she flings the weapon into the dirt between Kira’s feet. “The entire point was to sneak in, grab Luke, and get out. I know I told you to plan for Yola Biggs, but I really wanted this to work without a fight. How was I supposed to know Nimby would be bonded to the Lich?”

  Running her thumb along the shaft of her weapon, Kira watches the halfling balance a coin on his nose. “You didn’t have to keep going along with your plan once you learned the truth. We could have left Rainbow Tower and met with the others between Gaia and Freedom. We could have gone to your temple and teleported to the Garden of Uli to make sure the Baron’s son wasn’t causing trouble there. Now, we’re stuck with a traitor who could lead us to our death or hand us over to his master.”

  “Stop complaining and grow a spine, princess,” the gypsy growls as the Oakind become silent. She can feel the creatures watching them, but most of her attention is locked on the scowling heiress. “This was always a dangerous gamble and I’ve come too far to quit. You could have returned to the others or gone home at any point. Then again, I’m sure you didn’t want to think of me saving Luke and getting all the thanks. You’re still scared that you’ll lose him even though our competition ended long ago. Betting you have nightmares about me interrupting your precious wedding and stealing the groom at the altar.”

  “Keep goading me, thief, and I’ll give these trees all the blood they want.”

  “All you do is train, so I doubt you could beat me.”

  “I trained to defeat you.”

  “While I grew stronger than a little heiress with a flimsy spirit.”

  “This coming from a woman who can’t sleep alone.”

  Kira and Sari are about to fight when the Oakind stomp their feet and shak
e the ground. The leader leaves the circle and pushes the women apart, one of its upper branches scratching what would be the side of its head. Plucking two purple flowers from a small hole in its side, the tree offers them to the prisoners. When they stubbornly refuse to accept the sweet-smelling gifts, the Oakind puts the colorful plants on the ground and returns to its original position. The others whisper until they are silenced with a loud rustling of branches from their leader.

  “To make deal, strange monkeys must live,” the Oakind explains, shifting its roots in search of an underground water source. A healthy, green shimmer runs along its vines, the thorns dripping their poison onto the jungle floor. “You want pretty, but can’t use pretty if dead. Oakind want special food that go in soil to drink. Could have all of strange monkeys, but that mean no deal. Use purple pretties to make more red stuff. No use metal claws.”

  “I don’t understand,” Sari admits while rubbing her knuckles. She picks up the purple flower, which gives her fingers a rosier color. “All we want is the herb and we’ll be out of your hair. If you want, I’ll leave her with you and take what I need. Doesn’t sound like the princess is interested in continuing with our mission anyway. So, try to explain what you’re talking about and I’ll do what you want.”

  “They want us to fight and shed blood, idiot,” Kira rudely states before tossing her weapon aside. Claiming her own flower, she sniffs at the petals and gets dizzy from the sickeningly sweet odor. “I don’t know how these things work, but it sounds like they increase the amount of blood in our bodies. We beat each other up and they get their special food while we limp away with the dark pool herbs. If we use our weapons then the fight can end too quickly and the Oakind won’t get as much blood as they’d like. This probably isn’t the first time they’ve made this deal, which is rather disturbing. Still, it’s perfect timing since I really feel like knocking you off your pedestal.”