The Rabbit Great And Terrible

by Chereta, Nelson

  XXX

  Out in the night, Alice’s cries could be heard loud and clear.

  “Yes! Yes! Take me, my captain! Take me!”

  Lying in the grass Gronk chuckled. “Well, I was thinking they were going to do ‘lonely shepherd and innocent ewe.’”

  Chapter 2

  A Little Skeleton On The Map

  The following morning Waldo went off by himself. He sat down beneath a large oak and began to pull various pieces of parchment from out of his pockets. These were maps. He’d acquired them during his travels. Many covered only a single country or part of one. Most lacked much detail; they showed the main cities and towns and the roads in between. A major river might appear, especially if there was only a single crossing point for it. Details such as mountain ranges, forests, swamps, and deserts were usually neglected. More importantly, areas of wilderness where monsters roamed were also usually left off. This made travel even more dangerous than it already was.

  Accurate maps, even the inaccurate ones, were a precious commodity. Most were normally drawn up by locals, and could only be acquired traveling through that specific area. Typically, only merchants had maps covering many lands, and they often added important details themselves. Such as an unmarked road, a minor river crossing, or a wood infested with goblins. Even generals leading invading armies often went in blind, relying on locals and their own scouts to figure out the lay of the land.

  Back home, in Castle Corpselover, there’d been thousands of maps available, covering almost the whole of the Shattered Lands. Some were hundreds of years old, displaying countries that no longer existed, and cities long ago sacked and left to ruin. There had even been grand atlases that showed you the entire world in a single glance. There was the Storm Sea, the Western Sea, the Inner Sea, and the Frozen Sea. A blob marked the location of Avalon and all of Ostragaard was a blank space with a single notation, ‘here there be monsters.’ The Mouth, the Silk Road, Blackened Amora, the Rio Optimo, the Great Southern Desert, the Far Isles, and the Salt Plains were all marked. But even the atlases couldn’t show you where Ostragaard ended, or what was beyond the edge of the Western Sea. Two thousand years after the Shattering parts of the world remained a mystery.

  When he’d originally set out, he’d been given maps of every country neighboring Alteroth. He’d taken those maps completely for granted, in the same way he had all the spells, potion recipes, and seals in his spellbook. It was only after losing them that he truly appreciated their value. Most of the maps he had now were of countries he’d already passed through. The one he began to unfold was different from all the rest. It was drawn on a large section of sheep skin. Instead of showing just one country it revealed the cities, towns, castles, roads, and rivers of fifteen nations. The center point of the map was the Gold City, and it showed every route to it from every direction. There were even useful notations to help better understand the different regions. It was a genuine treasure.

  It had originally belonged to a merchant back in Kaspar. Waldo had offered to buy it or buy a copy, but the merchant had refused to sell. The information was too valuable to part with. So, Waldo had sent Cleptus in to steal it, along with a small fortune in gold and silver. That was the first time he’d used the invisibility spell on the thief. The successful theft had been one of the highlights of his quest so far. It was also proof that Illusion magic had its uses. He was looking over this particular map when Alice came up to him.

  “Breakfast is ready, darling.”

  Waldo gave an absent nod. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

  Standing over him she peered down. “Have you decided where we’re going?”

  “Yes.” He tapped the exact center of the sheep skin.

  “Oh! We’re going to Torikai?” Alice asked excitedly. “I’ve heard stories about it from the merchants. The Gold City, surrounded by a shining wall of pure gold and ruled by a wise and beautiful queen. Everyone says it’s the greatest city I the world!”

  “Second, Alter is obviously the greatest. It may only be third or fourth, I’m sure Trezibon and Venezia would try and lay claim to the title as well.”

  “Well, I’m still eager to go and see it. They say you can buy anything there. Will we get to do some shopping? We can actually put some of our coins to use.”

  He glanced up at her. “If you want to make a few purchases that’s fine, I suppose. The reason we’re going there is to gather information.”

  “About what, darling?”

  “To begin with, magic and spells. Since it turns out I have a Talent in Illusion magic I want to try and acquire more spells in it.”

  Alice gave a supportive nod and patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve always known you are very talented with your magic, darling.”

  “That’s not quite what I mean,” Waldo told her. “There are eight schools of magic. Most mages have minor access to seven or at least six of them. Having access means you can learn to cast the lesser magics of that school. But to use the more powerful spells, the deeper magics, requires you to have a Talent in the school.”

  She frowned slightly. “I’m not sure I follow.”

  Waldo took his wand out from one of the pockets sewn into his robes. He pointed it at a tree about twenty feet away. “Venti.”

  He felt a trickle of mana slip out of him and into the wand. A gust of wind struck the tree hard enough to shake branches and send some leaves flying.

  “That was a basic spell from the Elemental school of magic,” Waldo slid the wand back into the pocket. “I was able to do that because I have access to elemental magic. Now, if I had a Talent for the Elemental school I could do things like fly or bring down a tornado.” Given the number of wind spells he had in his spellbook, that lack was actually a great shame.

  “When I was growing up,” Waldo continued. “I had trouble making even basic spells work, outside of healing and protective magics. Everyone assumed my only Talent was in Healing. But invisibility is a deeper magic of the Illusion school. That means I have a Talent in Illusion and can use the more advanced spells.”

  “That’s wonderful, darling!” He could feel her exuberance through their bond. “That proves how amazing you are!”

  Waldo let out a despondent sigh.

  Alice blinked. “Why are you feeling depressed?”

  Since she could also sense his emotions Waldo knew there was no point in trying to deny it.

  “All mages can sense magic. When Roger created that false dragon I knew immediately what it was because I could sense the magic that formed it. No illusion will ever fool a mage, which means they’re only valuable when dealing with mundanes. So, Illusion is considered the weakest and least valuable of all the Schools of magic.” And the only one even more worthless than Healing, Waldo thought. The Dark Powers are laughing at me again.

  Alice shook her head. “But darling, the world is full of people who don’t use magic! How many times have you made Cleptus invisible? He’s never been caught, and I know he loves when you use it on him. I think it’s great that you can do it.”

  “Well… it has its uses,” Waldo admitted. “Part of the reason we’re going to Torikai is for me to try and get more spells. There’s a guild there that specializes in Illusion. If I can get access to their library I can acquire a lot of new spells.”

  “That’s fantastic, darling!”

  “I am also hoping to get information on finding a dragon.” He felt her enthusiasm sputter.

  “Oh. So, we’re still doing that?”

  Waldo lifted an eyebrow. “I told you and Gronk that acquiring a dragon’s egg, or a dragon was a part of my quest. I can’t go home without one.”

  “Yes dear, I remember, but you haven’t mentioned it for a while. I was sort of hoping we could put it off and just travel from place to place for a time.”

  “I didn’t mention it because I was more worried about avoiding my grandfather and any parties sent out by Duke Griffinheart. Besides, a dragon’s lair isn’t easy to find. We weren’t likely
to just stumble across one.”

  “Terassa be praised,” she drew a circle over her heart.

  “Information is the most precious thing there is,” Waldo told her. “Even a place like Torikai may not have any leads, but it’s worth checking. At the very least, I can acquire more magic, and I’m sure there will be other opportunities there as well.”

  Alice narrowed her eyes. “These opportunities wouldn’t involve stealing, would they?”

  “That’s a silly question, of course they would.”

  “So, we’re going to one of the great cities of the world to commit crimes that could get us imprisoned or even killed?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Didn’t you learn anything from what happened in Norwich?”

  “Of course I did, this time I won’t ask you to Charm anyone.”

  She sent him a tart frown. “Right, because that was the big mistake. Not deciding to steal a duke’s magical sword and sneak out in the middle of the night.”

  “I’m glad you agree.”

  Alice shook her head and gave a half-muffled groan.

  “Looking over the map I think I’ve found the best route to get to Torikai.” He stabbed a finger at a crossroads near the bottom right corner. “We’re near here, where the Sunflower Road crosses the Ramshorn Road. We’ll take the Sunflower north to Hampton’s Crossing, then go west a bit on the Twisting Trail, until we reach Kergard. Then we head north again on Kingston Pike and then go through the Valley of Certain Death, which will then put us on the Gold Road which takes us straight-”

  “Wait a bit! We go through a place called the Valley of Certain Death?!”

  “That’s right,” he tapped a point on the map. “It’s the only connection between Kingston Pike and the Gold Road.”

  Alice took a close look. “Ah, darling? Why is there a little skeleton drawn there?”

  “That just means there are some undead, that’s all.”

  “That’s all? You want to go through a place called the Valley of Certain Death where there are undead just, so we can get on the Gold Road?”

  “It’s really not that big a deal, Alice. It’s marked with only one skeleton. That means it’s a minor infestation. Probably just a couple hundred skeletons and walking corpses, with maybe a handful of zombies mixed in. Three hundred at the very most. Any more than that and the map would have two skeletons with swords, or maybe a little ghost.”

  “And you think passing through a place with hundreds of undead is a small thing?”

  He nodded. “We had more than that guarding the castle back home.”

  “Well that makes me eager to visit,” she muttered under her breath. Alice looked more closely at the map. “Darling, couldn’t we just go south-west out of Kergard on the Tulip Way until we get to Pigslaughter Junction and get on the Gold Road there?”

  Waldo shook his head. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Look how far out of the way it is. Going that way would add at least a week to our trip and is inconvenient. Do you want to make things harder for us?”

  When she smacked him on the back of his head he had no idea why she did it. Ultimately, they ‘agreed’ on the longer route.

  Chapter 3

  The Great Rabbit

  The caravan made its stop for the night. The twenty wagons pulled off the Gold Road and formed a circle, with all the horses on the inside. A cookfire was started and the cook began working on the evening meal. They had set out from Pigslaughter Junction early that morning and had covered a good fifteen miles. They were, at last, returning home to Torikai, the wagons loaded down with barrels of ale and whiskey, bolts of cloth, smoked mutton, and salt pork. Along with the salt pork, they had also picked up four travelers in the Junction. Normally, caravans didn’t permit passengers to simply hop on. But one of them had been a White Mage, and you didn’t refuse a White Mage when he asked for a favor.

  Derren Malisar was the captain of the eight guards hired to protect the caravan. He’d worked as a guard for hire for more than ten years. He was good with a sword, and when he talked the others listened. Being a guard for hire didn’t really pay that well, for two months with this caravan he would get a total of ten silver marks. It was not much but would be enough to see him through the winter at least. Being a gladiator could earn a lot more… but only if you were really good at it. Most gladiators never even made it to their third match. What he would have really liked would have been to join the Gold Guard. Those arrogant asses not only got great pay and quarters inside the Wall, but their work was easy. They never had to worry about bandits or packs of wild goblins attacking in the middle of the night. They were just policemen in shiny armor who got to lord it over everyone.

  Derren knew there was no chance he would ever get to be one. He was a commoner, a rat, born and raised in the Rats Nest. To get into the Gold Guard you had to know someone, be some lord’s or rich merchant’s son or nephew. Being able to handle yourself in a fight wasn’t what mattered. He hadn’t popped out of the right womb and so wasn’t qulified.

  As he ate his stew, Derren kept looking over to the four newcomers. They sat a little apart from everyone else. He was hardly the only one who kept looking in their direction, they were a very colorful group. There was, of course, the White Mage in his snow-white robes and with yellow hair and eyes. Derren had spotted a White Mage in the Rats Nest a few times. He had never actually spoken to one, they were people to be respected and feared. Beside him, was a woman with fiery hair and a body that would have earned a fortune in one of the pleasure houses inside the Wall. It made sense that a White Mage would have a woman like that for a wife. Then there was the barbarian woman who was covered in burn scars and carried a sword with a faint glow to it. She was repulsive and ungainly, when she walked he was reminded of an ox trampling whatever got in its path. Her movements lacked the grace of a trained warrior, but he suspected she was more dangerous than she appeared. Last, there was the dark-haired fellow in the grey cloak. Nothing about him really stood out, except that he was missing a finger. Compared to the rest of the group he was easy to forget about.

  It was very strange, seeing a White Mage just sitting there eating. From all the stories, you never expected them to do anything so… ordinary. They fought monsters, advised rulers, gave food to the poor, wandered all over the world, and never asked for payment. Even for someone who came from a place where magic was fairly common, White Mages were something different. They seemed more like characters from a story than the magic users he’d seen back home. They seemed much too good for this greedy and selfish world.

  Despite traveling together for a day, Derren hadn’t spoken to the White Mage or any of his party. He didn’t think any of the wagon drivers or guards had. They had kept to themselves. The only person he had seen talk to them was Horace Rysan, the caravan master. And even then, the talk had been brief, probably just Horace wanting to make sure everything was all right. Most people would sooner have a pack of goblins chasing them than anger a White Mage. Derren would keep a safe distance and not speak to him unless spoken to first. He would take the first watch tonight, so he hurriedly finished his meal and got ready to turn in his plate.

  That was when the White Mage suddenly stood up and walked over to the cookfire. Derren and everyone else stopped to stare at him as he stepped up to the fire and the center of their camp. His hood was down, and the firelight bathed his face. His hair and eyes seemed to shine.

  “I wonder if I might speak to all of you about something rather important,” he said.

  Derren had no idea what this could be about, but if it was coming from a White Mage then it had to be something serious. All eyes were drawn to him, the many small conversations died away and he was the only focus.

  “Please, Master Rabbit,” Horace called out. “Feel free to tell us whatever you wish to.”

  The White Mage gave the caravan master a nod and then continued. “I would like to talk to all of you about the gods.”


  XXX

  A couple days earlier…

  “What’s the secret to lying?” Waldo asked.

  “What?” Cleptus asked with annoyance.

  They were on the road headed to a town called Pigslaughter Junction, where they would get on the Gold Road for Torikai.

  “What’s the secret to lying?” Waldo asked again. “I want to know.”

  “Darling,” Alice said with a scowl. “Why are you asking him something like that?”

  “Lying is a very important skill, one I am desperately in need of practice in. Since we’re going to spend some time in a major city while I conduct my research, it would also seem an opportune moment to also work on my abilities in deception.”

  “Seems to me,” Cleptus said. “You already know plenty. You’re travelling with a couple of monsters and a thief, you steal people blind while pretending to rescue them. I’d say that makes you a pretty damn good liar right there.”