by F. P. Spirit
Since their encounter the previous day, and the incident with the dark lady in the gem, the companions chose to be more cautious. Not traveling at night would cost them an extra day, but it was better than not arriving at the monolith at all.
Down on main deck, Lloyd sparred with Alana. Warrior and knight danced back and forth, Alana matching Lloyd’s strength and agility with experience and skill. Aksel knelt on a crate just outside the door to the cabins, his eyes closed as he offered up his morning devotion. Elistra and Glo sat opposite the little cleric, on the same two crates they had occupied the day before. Elistra, eyes also closed, sat cross-legged, deep in meditation.
Glo, having just finished the morning review of his spell-book, did not wish to disturb either of his friends, so he quietly got up and went to join Elladan and Donnie. The duo stood by the rail, Elladan taking pleasure in needling his elven friend. “So have you decided?”
“Decided what?” Donnie responded, his shoulders taut and his tone more than a little defensive.
One corner of Elladan’s mouth raised slightly as he placed a hand on Donnie’s shoulder. “Why, which girlfriend you are going to pick.”
Donnie’s jaw tightened. “She is not my girlfriend!” he blurted out just a bit too emphatically. Donnie immediately covered his mouth and cast a quick glance over either shoulder.
Glo found it difficult to keep a straight face as he strode up to join the two. “I’m sure Alana will be sorry to hear that.”
Donnie spun to face the wizard, his head cocked, a sarcastic smile across his lips. “I didn’t mean Alana.”
“Ah, I’m glad you clarified that.” Glo nodded, the corners of his mouth upturning despite his best efforts.
“But the little one wants to be,” Elladan prodded.
Donnie’s eyes swept from Glo to Elladan, the slight elf shaking his head. “She is way too young for me. Don’t you two have any morals?”
“At least as much as you,” Elladan responded, a half-smile finally breaking out across his lips.
Donnie glared at the bard, causing Elladan to burst out into fits of laughter. The sound was a nice change of pace after all that had occurred yesterday, and Glo found himself joining in. Donnie glowered at the two of them, but after a few moments, he too began to laugh.
“Cut out that racket!” Elistra’s voice rang out from across the deck. “Some of us are trying to be productive!”
The trio quelled their laughter, although snickers and giggles continued to escape their lips. Glo cast a quick glance toward Elistra, but the seeress still sat cross-legged on her crate, her eyes firmly shut. Abruptly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Glo spun his head to see Elladan leaning in close. “Looks like you’ve got a live one there, my friend.”
Glo turned his gaze back toward the spirited seeress, the warmth rising in his cheeks. “You could say that.”
Donnie strode up beside him. “It reminds me of this one time...”
Whatever he was going to say was drowned out by a cry from above.
“Holy dragon dung!”
The deck grew quiet as all eyes turned upward. Martan stood in the crow’s nest, his gaze fixed on the southern shore. The archer’s face was so red that you could see it from the deck below. Seth, standing next to Martan, pointed toward a spot on the south bank as he called to the folks below. “Umm, guys, you’re going to want to see this.”
Glo, his curiousity piqued, followed Seth’s finger toward the tall trees along the shoreline. He spied nothing at first, until his eyes honed in on the largest of the trees a short distance up the bank. A thick branch jutted well out over the waters—and upon that branch stood a fair-skinned woman with long, flowing auburn hair. Strange as it was to see her there, what really threw him off was the fact that she was completely naked. Glo’s cheeks felt on fire as he stared at the nude woman.
“Oh, my,” the words slipped from Donnie’s mouth.
“You can say that again,” Elladan agreed.
Glo was stirred from his reverie by a loud noise that sounded like a slap. He spun around and saw Lloyd holding the back of his head.
Alana, next to him, folded her arms across her chest. “What would that nice Andrella say if she saw you gawking like that?”
“Sorry,” Lloyd managed, his face turning a bright shade of scarlet.
“You’re lucky it wasn’t you sparring with her,” Elladan murmured to Donnie.
Alana’s gaze shifted their way. “What was that, Elladan?”
Elladan seemed totally unphased by the lady knight’s ire. “Oh, nothing. I was just commenting that she is probably a woodland nymph.”
Alana’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, I’m sure you were.”
Aksel and Elistra strode up to the railing. The little cleric’s expression was impassive. “She may very well be, but we should probably make sure.”
“I’ll go and check,” Elladan offered, a half-smile spreading across his lips.
Elistra regarded the bard for a moment, then her eyes shifted to Glo. He could feel the intensity of her gaze—it was as if she were trying to bore into his mind. The experience was rather sobering, and it shocked Glo back to his senses. He turned to Elladan. “Just be careful. With all that’s happened so far, she may not be what she seems.”
Elladan nodded. “Trust me, I’ll be careful. And anyway, Lloyd can come with me for protection.” He waved a hand toward the young man.
“Sure,” Lloyd responded. A smile crossed his lips, but then his eyes fell on Alana and it abruptly faded.
Alana, her lips pressed tight, stared from Elladan, to Lloyd, her eyes finally settling on Donnie. “What? Don’t you want to go along, too?”
Her tone was mild, but there was an intensity in her eyes that spoke all too clearly how she felt about the matter. Donnie immediately picked up her intent. He raised up his hands in front of him and responded perhaps just a bit too dramatically. “What? Me? No. I’m just fine right here.”
Alana continued to stare at him, her eyes narrowed and a frown across her brow. Elistra had watched the entire exchange with a thinly veiled smile. Alana turned to the seeress, shook her head, and said a single word. “Men.”
Elistra gave her female compatriot a knowing smile, then her eyes shifted back to Glo. Her gaze seemed merely curious this time, but the young elf felt himself flush once again. Alana and Elistra were not wrong; they were all acting like a bunch of schoolboys. You would think none of them had ever seen a naked female before. Glo let out a heavy sigh, then turned to Elladan. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“Lloyd?” Elladan asked the young man.
Lloyd briefly adjusted his sword hilts, then nodded.
“Ready,” Elladan said.
As Lloyd invoked his flying cloak, Glo cast the same spell on the bard. The duo then launched themselves into the air. Over in the trees, the woodland nymph suddenly climbed up off the branch and disappeared into the forest. The bard and warrior flew across the river and into the forest after the nymph.
“Be careful!” Elistra called after the duo. She turned to the others, a deep frown across her brow. “I don’t like this.”
An empty feeling grew in the pit of Glo’s stomach. “Perhaps we should wake Ruka and send her after them?”
Donnie shook his head. “She only got to sleep a short while ago.”
“Let’s give it a few minutes then,” Aksel decided.
Donnie helped Morled bring the Rusty Nail to a stop. By the time they had reined in the sails, Martan called down from above, “I see them! They’re coming back!” There was a short pause, then he added, “They’re bringing company!”
Glo leaned out over the railing and peered downstream. Their two companions were indeed flying back toward them, except that Lloyd carried the nymph in his arm.
“I don’t like this at
all,” Elistra repeated, the tension in her voice almost palpable.
“Agreed,” Aksel said, his expression stony.
The pit in Glo’s stomach grew as his companions approached. After what seemed like an eternity, Elladan and Lloyd finally landed in the center of the deck. As the young warrior put the nymph down, Elladan strode quickly over to them.
“What’s going on?” Aksel asked in a soft voice.
Elladan leaned in close and whispered, “When we approached the nymph, she cast a charm spell on us. Thankfully, I was unaffected, but Lloyd fell under it. I tried a counter-spell, but it didn’t work. So I suggested we fly back and introduce her to all our friends, hoping one of you could break the spell. Luckily she agreed.”
Glo glanced over to where Lloyd stood with the nymph. The young warrior remained perfectly still, a blank expression on his face. The nymph hung on his shoulder, her body practically wrapped around him.
“Maybe I should go over there and slap some sense into him again,” Alana said, her ire rising once more.
Glo shook his head. “It won’t help if he’s charmed.”
Elistra stared intently at the creature, her eyes narrowed and her brow deeply furrowed. “There’s something off about that creature. I’m certain she is not what she appears to be.”
“Well, there’s a way to find out and snap Lloyd out of his spell at the same time,” Aksel said quietly. “If one of you can keep her distracted, I can dispel any magical influences in the area before she realizes what is happening.”
“I’ll keep her occupied!” Donnie offered, perhaps a bit too eagerly.
Alana cast a dark look at the elf, then turned her back and stormed away. Donnie’s face fell. He started to follow her, but Elladan reached out and placed a restraining hand on his friend’s shoulder. “First things first.”
Donnie let out a short sigh, then spun around and followed the bard to greet the naked nymph.
“Aren’t you going, too?” Elistra asked Glo, with just a trace of amusement in her tone.
Glo had to admit, the nymph was very alluring—it would be easy to succumb to her physical charms. However, that is not what attracted him to the opposite sex, or at least not solely, he corrected himself. “No. I’m fine where I am.”
“Good,” she said softly, stepping closer and putting her arm through his.
While Elladan and Donnie approached the nymph, Aksel headed in the opposite direction. He stopped next to Alana, with his back to them, and covertly prepared the spell which would free Lloyd.
“Good morning, my lady,” Donnie addressed the woodland creature. “Welcome aboard the Rusty Nail.”
The nymph slowly unwrapped herself from Lloyd and sauntered up to the slight elf, her every move practically dripping with sensuality. Long auburn hair flowed downward over the pale skin of her shoulders, just barely covering the roundness of her breasts. A pair of smoldering blue eyes fixed themselves on Donnie, as the she reached out a finger and placed it on Donnie’s chest. Those pouty pink lips parted, a breathy voice passing between them. “Is this your ship?”
Glo could hear Donnie gulp all the way from the other side of the deck. “Um, no, my lady, it is not. Tell me, what’s a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?”
From someone else, that might have sounded cliché, but it was obvious from Donnie’s tone that he was trying to be amusing. His ploy worked—the nymph giggled, then responded in the same breathy voice. “I was wandering around the forest all by myself. I was rather lonely, and wanted some company.” She emphasized that last word. “Then I saw your boat. I was so happy when these handsome men flew over to get me.” All during her speech, she continued to run her finger around Donnie’s chest.
Glo heard a decided “Humph” from the deck behind him. Alana was obviously not buying any of the nymph’s story. Donnie, however, was getting more than he bargained for. The nymph’s forwardness was causing even the worldly elf to blush. Donnie reached down and gently grabbed her hand, carefully moving it away from his chest. “I’m just glad we could be of assistance, my lady.”
“Who’s your new friend, Donnie?” a familiar voice interrupted them.
Glo glanced up and saw Ruka perched on the lowest yardarm of the mainmast. Her expression was a mask of calm, but Glo suspected she was seething underneath.
Donnie spun around to face the teen, his eyes wide. “Oh... Ruka! I... didn’t see you up there.”
“That’s because your eyes were focused elsewhere,” Alana called from across the deck.
Donnie’s gaze shifted to the lady knight, little beads of sweat forming on his brow. “I was just greeting our visitor.”
“I’m sure that’s what you were doing,” Alana replied, her voice practically dripping with acid.
The tension in the air was almost palpable. Unfortunately, the exchange between the two women and Donnie was drawing too much attention to Alana, who stood dangerously close to Aksel. Glo nearly said something, but thankfully Elladan had the presence of mind to step in.
“Well, it is a pleasure to have you here, my lady,” he addressed the nymph. “I am so glad you took up my suggestion to come and visit us.” He executed a graceful bow, finishing with a half-smile.
The nymph turned toward the bard. “You are indeed the charmer,” she responded in her breathy voice. She sauntered forward and placed a finger on his chest. “And here I thought you didn’t like me.”
She stared up at him, a seductive smile on her lips, and walked her fingers up his chest. Somehow, Elladan managed to maintain his cool—he grabbed her hand and took it gently into his own. “Now, whatever gave you that idea?”
The nymph never got to answer. As her lips parted, a brilliant circle of violet light engulfed the entire deck around them. It swiftly faded, but so did Lloyd’s blank stare—the young man blinking his eyes rapidly as if awakening from a deep sleep. At the same time, the creature in front of Elladan began to change. Her hair and complexion remained the same, but her eyes darkened and her lips turned blood red. The most striking change, however, was the two tiny horns that now stuck out from her forehead, and the bat-like wings that protruding from her back.
“Succubus!” Elistra practically hissed the word.
Glo’s eyes went wide, his heart suddenly beating fast in his chest. A succubus was another demon—not as strong as a Barghest, but deadly in their own right. A succubus charmed its victim with its seductive powers, luring them into acts of passion. Once there, it drained them of their very life force. This was not a creature to be trifled with. Unfortunately, with Elladan and Donnie in the way, Glo did not have a clear shot at it. Elladan, now seeing what he was dealing with, dropped the demon’s hand and took a long step back.
“What’s the matter?” the succubus said, her voice huskier, yet still breathy. “Don’t you find me attractive anymore?”
Elladan attempted to recover—he stopped backing up, once again flashing her his half-smile. “Oh, but I do.”
The succubus stepped forward and poked the bard in the chest, her dark lips pouty as she did so. “I... don’t... believe you.” Before Elladan could respond, the demoness whirled around toward Donnie, her voice taking on a seductive tone. “You do, don’t you?”
Donnie’s face went abruptly blank. When he responded, his voice was wooden. “I do, milady.”
“Then protect me,” she said, stepping away from Elladan. Donnie drew his rapier and pointed it menacingly at his old friend.
Elladan threw up his hands and backed away even further. “Whoa now, Donnie. Watch where you point that pig sticker.”
A sudden blur flew across the deck, a small figure slamming into the slight elf and knocking him over. The sword flew out of his hand and went clattering away across the wooden surface. Ruka then sat up and straddled Donnie, pinning him down by the arms.
&
nbsp; “Got him!” she cried out, not taking her eyes off her captive. Under other circumstances, the sight would have been comical, but at this critical moment, it was anything but.
The demoness raised a blood-red, long nailed finger to her lips and tapped them slowly, her voice filled with feigned concern. “Oh, my, I seem to have lost my toy.” She shrugged her bare shoulders, glancing around the deck with a smoldering stare. “No matter. It looks like there’s plenty more here to play with.”
Behind the creature, Lloyd had come to his senses, drawing his swords and taking a defensive stance. At the same moment, a voice rang out from the deck behind them.
“I’ll give you something to play with, foul creature!”
Alana rushed past, directly for the succubus, brandishing her gleaming sword. The demoness’s eyes went wide at the sight, immediately launching herself up and backwards, her bat-like wings fluttering wildly. For a moment Glo couldn’t understand her reaction, then it dawned on him—Alana, a holy knight, carried a holy sword. While a normal blade wouldn’t scratch a demon’s thick hide, a holy sword would be deadly to it.
The succubus rose quickly off the deck, Alana just barely missing her. As she hovered out of reach, the succubus recovered her former composure. She addressed Alana, her tone dripping with disdain.
“Oh, and what do we have here? Ah, I see. It is a little girl playing knight. Be careful with that sword, little girl. I might just feed it back to you.”
“You’re welcome to come down and try!” Alana cried back, not phased in the least by the demon’s hollow threat.
While the succubus had saved herself from Alana’s wrath, she had made one fatal mistake—by hovering in the air, she had put herself directly in Glo’s line of sight. Seth and Martan must have had similar thoughts, for in the seconds it took the wizard to weave his spell, a knife blade and two arrow shafts descended from above. Unfortunately, both the arrows and the blade bounced neatly off the creature’s tough torso, leaving her completely unharmed. The demoness threw her head back and let out a wicked laugh.
