The Ruins on Stone Hill

by F. P. Spirit

  Aksel turned to Brundon. “What if you stay hidden back in the trees? As soon as you hear Lloyd and Titan charge in, start pelting the camp with arrows. Once they engage the enemy, change your focus to that cleric. That should keep him occupied.”

  “Sounds like my kind of fight.” A wicked grin spread across Brundon’s face as he unslung his bow.

  “Okay then, let’s move out.”

  Brundon and Seth led the way through the forest toward the orc encampment. The others followed behind them, making as little noise as possible. They covered a couple of miles until Brundon called a halt. He and Seth dismounted and disappeared into the woods. The two reappeared a short while later.

  “They’re about five hundred yards south of us,” Brundon said.

  “And are basically in the same positions,” Seth added. “The two sentries are still in the trees. The warriors are shuffling around a bit, but seem to be sticking to the general area of the encampment.”

  “Sounds like they’re getting restless,” Glo said.

  Aksel turned toward Seth. “Can you get Glo close enough to those sentries to put them to sleep?”

  Seth crossed his arms. “No problem.”

  “Then you finish the job.” Aksel’s tone was grim.

  Seth just nodded. The two of them got up and headed out into the forest, leaving the others behind.

  Orc Ambush

  Suddenly the world rushed past him

  With Glo and Seth gone, Aksel turned to Brundon. “We’ll leave the mounts here. Get us within fifty yards of the encampment, then you can move out and get into position. Start firing as soon as Lloyd and Titan charge.”

  Brundon’s mouth twisted into a half smirk. “Will do.”

  They secured their mounts, following Brundon through the trees. The companions went slowly, being as silent as possible. After what felt like forever, Brundon held up his hand. He motioned for the others to wait, then disappeared into the woods.

  The forest around them had gone quiet. Lloyd scanned the woods ahead. He couldn’t see anything other than trees, but the silence was a dead giveaway that something was amiss. The young warrior closed his eyes and began to meditate. He slowed his breathing and cleared his mind. When his eyes snapped open, he felt completely calm and ready for battle. Lloyd’s eyes rested on Titan. Her face was set for battle—grim countenance and firm jaw characterized by her steel blue eyes. Lloyd admired her. She wielded her sword and shield with expert precision and power. While not flashy, her methods were both effective and direct.

  Lloyd’s style was more flamboyant, but that didn’t make it better. The combination of parries, counters and spins he used worked well with two weapons, especially when fighting multiple opponents. Being a spiritblade is what made that viable. Strangely enough, Lloyd hadn’t even touched a blade for the first year of his training. That time had been solely dedicated to physical conditioning and meditation. Once he did pick up a blade, it was strictly one-handed. It took him five long years and many hours of sweat, cuts, and bruises to master the sword. Even then, he could not have pulled off his current fighting style without mental and spiritual training.

  His first real breakthrough came after years of deep meditation when he finally made contact with his inner spirit. Once he found that spark, he was able to call forth the power from within. Lloyd could suddenly move faster, hit harder, and withstand more punishment than ever before. It was then that he adopted his current two weapon style, but his studies didn’t end there. With his newfound skills he learned to combine body, mind and spirit—to execute quick, precise movements and envision clear mental images, all while calling forth his spirit energy. He had become a blade adept—a spiritblade.

  A sudden movement caught Lloyd’s eye. A small black figure flew down from the tree tops toward them; it was Glo’s familiar, Raven. The bird landed on a nearby tree branch and cawed briefly at Titan, Aksel, and himself, “Tana carina, tana carina.”

  “That’s the signal,” Aksel whispered. “The sentries are gone. Now it’s your turn. Go!”

  Lloyd glanced at Titan. They exchanged a quick nod, then took off through the trees. Titan fell a bit behind, but not far, considering she was running in heavy armor. Lloyd heard shouts through the trees ahead. He burst into a clearing and found five orcs ducking and dodging as one arrow after another flew at them. A brief smile crossed Lloyd’s lips. Brundon was doing an excellent job.

  Lloyd charged forward, his blades igniting as he closed in on the two nearest bandits. He swung his swords in wide sweeping arcs, catching both orc warriors with a burning blade. A battle cry sounded beside him and a glimpse of shining silver flash passed. Titan entered the fray and engaged the other two orcs, but Lloyd was too busy for more than a fleeting glance.

  He continued to move, allowing his body to flow with his blades. Lloyd spun his twin swords in unison with his body, deftly parrying the curved blades that came at him. He had just finished off one of his foes, when a scream rang out across the clearing. Lloyd parried a strike and threw back his opponent, chancing a quick glance around the battlefield.

  The orc cleric had dropped its staff and was clutching an arm with an arrow protruding from it. The briefest of smiles flitted across Lloyd’s lips, for at that same moment, Titan’s shield bashed a foe and sent it careening back into the orc Lloyd had been fighting. The two orcs slammed into each other and went tumbling to the ground.

  There was one orc still standing. As it rushed Titan, Lloyd quieted his mind, the world slowing around him. He struck a well-practiced pose, his arms moving in swift, intricate motions. He reached down deep inside, searching for that spark of inner spirit, and at the same time envisioned his body rushing forward with incredible speed. The whole effort took just under a second—and suddenly the world rushed past him.

  As Titan parried the orc’s assault, Lloyd was suddenly behind it. He swung with all his might, lopping the head clean off the unsuspecting monster. Titan flashed him a quick grin and then the two of them rushed the remaining warriors. The fight was quickly over.

  Lloyd spun around and surveyed the clearing. He just caught a glimpse of the enemy cleric as it disappeared through the trees at the other end of the glade. At the same time, a dark figure skirted the clearing in hot pursuit of the retreating orc.

  “Brundon’s got him,” Titan said with just a trace of pride.

  Lloyd was amazed at how fast the tracker wove through the trees after his prey. He turned back toward Titan and saw the satisfied smirk on her face.

  “It’ll never get away from Brundon. He’ll track it from here to Tarrsmorr if need be.”

  Lloyd grinned back at the warrior. “Of that I have little doubt.”

  Aksel entered the clearing from behind them. “Where’s Glo and Seth?”

  A voice rang out behind them. Lloyd spun around and saw Glo enter the glade. “Seth took off after Brundon and that orc priest.”

  “Did you see which way they were headed?”

  “North.”

  Aksel’s eyes swept the glade. “I think we’re done here. Let’s get back to our mounts and follow them.”

  Lloyd led the way, followed by Glo and Aksel, with Titan bringing up the rear. They had only gone a short way when Lloyd spied a small black figure winging its way down from the treetops. It was Raven. He watched her land on Glo’s arm and listened as the wizard spoke to her in elvish. Glo then held out his arm and the black bird took off again, propelling herself up and away. She spiraled up to the treetops and then flew off toward the north. “If she spots them, I can get a sense of where they are.”

  Lloyd was impressed. “My mom’s familiar never does much other than lay around the lab—and occasionally light things on fire.”

  “Really? What kind of familiar is it?”

  “A mini-dragon.”

  Glo was silent for
a moment. “Do you mean pseudodragon?”

  “Yes. That was the word for it.”

  Aksel called forward, “Lloyd, what’s your mother’s name?”

  “Lara. Lara Stealle.”

  Both Aksel and Glo fell silent. A puzzled expression crossed Aksel’s face. “Does she have another name?”

  She did in fact. She had a number of them. Names and titles from all the various roles she played in Penwick society. “Well, her maiden name is Hault. That is the name she used for the school. But she is also known as the High Wizard of Penwick.”

  “High Wizard? As in the top wizard in the city?” There was a note of surprise in Glo’s voice.

  “Yes.” Lloyd had thought that rather obvious.

  Aksel’s hand went to his chin. “Um, Lloyd—what school were you referring to?”

  “The Hault School of Magic. It’s the school she founded to train magic users.”

  “Interesting,” Glo said. “A school devoted to training wizards? We have nothing like that in Cairthrellon.”

  “Perhaps elves prefer training alone?” Titan called out from the rear.

  “Unfortunately, that is more accurate than you know,” Glo said.

  Aksel addressed Lloyd again, his tone somewhat strained, “So your mother’s maiden name is Hault? As in Lara Hault; the only wizard to ever turn down a seat on the Wizard’s Council?”

  Lloyd started to feel embarrassed. This is why he didn’t like talking about his parents. “That’s her.”

  Glo’s tone was incredulous. “Let me get this straight. Your mom is High Wizard of Penwick, runs a magic school, and turned down a seat on the Wizard’s Council; the same council that rules over the entire magical community of Thac?”

  Lloyd let out a deep sigh. “Yes.” This is exactly what he was afraid of. He didn’t want his new friends to start treating him differently just because of his parents’ fame. “Look, it wasn’t all that big of a deal. She just didn’t want to be away from Penwick. Between her research, the school, and the reconstruction projects, she just doesn’t have the time. Anyway, according to her, ‘The council is just a bunch of stuffy old men and women who wouldn’t know the truth about magic if it jumped up and bit them.’”

  Glo, Aksel and Titan all broke out in laughter. Lloyd felt suddenly relieved, the tension in his shoulders dissipating. Glo was still chuckling when he spoke up again, “It sounds like your mom is not afraid to speak her mind.”

  Lloyd shrugged. “Yeah, that’s my mom alright. She’s not very tolerant of nonsense. She thinks other wizards are full of themselves.” Lloyd suddenly realized what he had said. “Sorry, Glo. No offense intended.”

  Glo let out a short laugh. “None taken. In fact, I quite agree with your mom.”

  Lloyd thought about that for a moment. Glo really wasn’t like other wizards. He was neither stuffy nor did he act self-important. “You know, I have a feeling my mom just might like you, Glo. You’re not exactly a typical wizard.”

  Glo’s tone was ironic. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  A short while later they recovered their mounts. Lloyd continued to lead the way, Titan bringing up the rear. They soon picked up the trail of the fleeing orc. The companions followed the tracks for nearly an hour. Night had almost fallen when Glo announced, “We’re very close. Raven’s only a few hundred yards away.”

  Lloyd scanned the forest ahead. “It looks like the trees are thinning out. We must be near the north end of the woods.”

  “About five hundred yards ahead,” said a disembodied voice. It sounded like Seth, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Abruptly, the halfling appeared out of thin air.

  Glo rode up and fixed an eye on Seth. “Playing with that cloak again?”

  Seth’s mouth twisted into a half smirk. “Wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes,” the wizard admitted, his tone somewhat wistful.

  Aksel rode up next to them. “Where’s Brundon? And where’s that orc priest?”

  “The orc left the woods and headed up the hillside into a cave. Brundon is waiting at the forest’s edge, keeping an eye on the entrance. I circled back to stop you from charging on ahead and making a ton of noise.”

  Glo glared at Seth. “Elves do not make a ton of noise.”

  “No, but you can hear Titan’s armor clanking from a mile away.”

  Titan rode up next to them. She fixed Seth with a steely-eyed stare. “I do not clank. Jingle, perhaps, but not clank.”

  Seth held up his hands. “Ok, maybe not that bad, but we have no idea how many orcs are up in that cave. We need to be as quiet as possible.”

  Titan nodded. “Point taken.”

  They dismounted and led their mounts from there. At the forest’s edge, they tethered their steeds and hiked the rest of the way. Brundon waited at the tree line, nestled behind a group of boulders. Beyond there, the trees opened up, revealing a gentle, grassy slope. It receded perhaps another hundred yards, then ended at the base of a hill, part of a range of hills that rose up beyond that point.

  Everyone gathered around Brundon, and he brought them up to speed. “The orc entered the cave a short while ago. I haven’t seen anything move in or out of the cave since.”

  “Perhaps it leads farther back inside the hills,” Aksel mused. He turned to Seth. “Would you like to do a little scouting?”

  Seth shrugged. “Sure, why not.” He wrapped himself in his cloak and said a single word in a language Lloyd did not understand. Seth then vanished into thin air.

  Lloyd was impressed, but it was not the invisibility that amazed him. Lloyd’s mother could do that just as well. It was that once Seth disappeared, he was so silent that he was near impossible to detect.

  There were a few trees up the slope, so Glo sent Raven to keep a closer watch over the cave entrance. Now there was nothing to do but wait. It was all up to Seth, but at the first sign of trouble, Lloyd would be ready.

  The Cave Guardian

  These creatures were extremely hard to kill

  Seth left the forest behind and climbed the grassy slope toward the cave. Night had fallen, shrouding the earth in darkness. It would be hours before the moon rose. The shadows of the rolling hills rose into the sky before him and the tall trees of the Bendenwoods behind. Directly above, a star-studded strip stretched across the sky. He stole through the grass, the night quiet around him. The only sounds that reached his ears were the soft chirping of crickets, the rustling of leaves, or the occasional hoot of an owl. A gentle breeze brushed against his skin, bringing the scent of pine from the forest below.

  Seth moved slowly, making no noise as he closed in on the cave. He was perhaps two dozen yards away, when he spied a faint glow coming from inside.

  Thump.

  Seth froze in his tracks. What was that?

  Thump.

  There it was again. That came from the cave.

  As the thumping grew louder, a shadow appeared inside the cave. It grew in size until it blotted out the dim light emanating from the cavern. The thumping grew louder, finally punctuated by a low growl.

  Seth felt a chill run up his spine. He thought about backing away, but then told himself he would be fine; after all, he was invisible. He watched with fascination as a creature emerged from the cave. The hulking shadow was man-shaped but hunched over. The silhouette slowly expanded upwards, two giant arms stretching out toward the sky above. One of those arms held a long cylindrical object—most likely a club. There was a deep groan, then those thick arms fell to hang low at the creature’s side. The beast was huge, nearly as large as one of those stone golems they had seen back at the keep. A broad, square-shaped head stood above its wide shoulders, supported by a short, thick neck. Seth caught a momentary glimpse of mottled green skin.

  Troll. That’s what this thing is. He felt another shiver
run up his spine. If he was not invisible, he would be in immense danger.

  Trolls were brutish creatures that ate almost anything alive. Their great size and strength made them formidable opponents. They were also quite agile, despite their ponderous frames. Still, that was not the worst thing about fighting one. These creatures were extremely hard to kill. If you sliced a troll, the wound would immediately start to heal. The regenerative powers of these monsters was legendary. Even if you cut off its head, it would start to grow one back. The only way to defeat a troll was to use fire or acid. That would cauterize the wound and stop the creature’s body from regenerating.

  Seth stayed completely motionless, carefully watching the silhouette of the troll. The creature stood at the cave entrance, its large head swiveling from side to side. Abruptly the head stopped. Seth heard sniffing sounds. The head began to move again, back and forth, the monster still sampling the air.

  It must have caught some scent.

  Abruptly the head turned in his direction. It lifted slightly and sniffed once, then twice.

  The thing smells me!

  The troll lowered its head and growled, then slowly lumbered forward. Seth’s blood turned to ice. He fought the instinctive urge to run. It might smell him, but if it heard him too, he’d be a goner for sure. Seth forced himself to slowly back away. The troll was moving faster now, advancing at a pace that belied its large frame.

  I’ve got to do something quick, or it’ll be on top of me in no time.

  He glanced around and spied a tree behind him and to the right. He altered his course toward it, backpedaling as silently as possible. The troll continued to close the gap between them till it was only a few yards away. It towered over him, the fetid odor of its unwashed body assaulting his nostrils.