by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
“Got it. Easy on the swordplay.” He gestured to the closed door. “Will he be back?”
“No. Not until we return with the quest complete.” She bit her lip. “I haven’t actually done this one before.”
“And the milk?” He glanced at the doorstep. The liquid had seeped into the stone, leaving a dark stain. “Was that bad?”
Jennet didn’t look too happy. “We were supposed to get Fynnod’s blessing. Without it… I’m not sure what will happen.”
She turned to look out over the green hills, and Tam stared at the cottage. He hated feeling like he’d messed things up already. Here he was, usually a prime gamer, and he’d screwed up the first quest. Nice going.
The breeze kicked up, and he turned to look at Jennet. A strand of her pale hair blew against her cheek. From now on he was going to do his best. He wanted to impress her. Wanted her to smile at him again, the way she had when he’d beat Saberclaw, so he could carry the warmth of that inside himself for a little while.
A dark shadow crawled over the landscape, dimming the sunlight. He peered at the hills. Something was coming toward them - fast.
“Tam?” Jennet sounded scared. “We’ve got company.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The thing in the shadows became clear as it got closer - a huge black horse, galloping toward them. On its back was a forbidding-looking knight, wearing armor as dark as his steed. A wicked helm concealed the rider’s face.
Pulse quickening, Tam set his hand on the hilt of his sword. “First fight?”
Not a pleasant thought - he would feel better if he’d had at least some experience with combat in the game. Frightening the hairy man with his blade didn’t count.
Jennet shifted her grasp on the staff. Her cheeks were pale. “The Black Knight. He… he shouldn’t be here. Usually he’s much deeper in the game.”
“That sounds bad.” He squinted at the approaching rider. “What’s that, in front of the saddle?”
There was a small figure perched on the horse’s neck, seemingly unafraid of either its precarious position or the imposing knight just behind. As they drew close, the creature scrambled forward, using fistfuls of mane to pull himself up until he was nearly standing on the horse’s head.
The thundering of hooves ceased as the Black Knight brought his mount to a halt directly in front of them. The spritely creature riding in front lifted one stick-like arm in a wave, the gossamer tatters of his clothing following the movement.
“Well met, Fair Jennet,” he said in a clear, high voice. He grinned at them from his vantage point, his brown eyes sparkling. “And to this brave yet untried champion. Greetings, Tamlin.”
Tam blinked up at the creature. “It’s, er, Newrin.”
Wasn’t it? Seemed like the character creation in this game was badly bugged. That’s what he got for playing the beta version. Still, it was very weird that the little creature addressed him by name.
“Well met, Puck.” Jennet made a small curtsey, but Tam could see her hands trembling. “What brings you so far from the pleasures of court?”
The sprite folded his arms. “The queen desires to know who has entered the realm. I come with a message - and a warning.”
Behind Puck, the knight sat motionless, as though he were an inanimate object. It was eerie. Usually the devs built in some kind of movement to in-game characters. Maybe they had missed coding this one.
“What message does the queen have for us?” Jennet asked, her voice higher-pitched than usual.
Tam was glad to let her do the talking - she knew the rules, after all. It was good to get a bit of the storyline, even though it seemed disjointed. Was this queen the final boss they would have to defeat to win the game?
“She bids you remember that the realm does not give up its secrets lightly.” Puck leaped, making a sudden somersault from the horse’s head, and caught the top of Jennet’s staff. He clung there, hovering before them, and lowered his impish voice. “It is never simple to regain what was lost.”
“I know.” Jennet sounded way more unhappy than Tam would have expected from a bit of scripted dialogue. “Tell the queen I have come for what is mine.”
She shook her staff, as if to dislodge the sprite, and Puck frowned at her. “Your champion still must prove himself, foolish Jennet.”
“He will,” she said, sending Tam an anxious look.
“Ha!” The sprite laughed, and the sound sent prickles down the back of Tam’s neck. “Then he may do so this instant. Black Knight, I summon thee to battle!”
There was a blur of motion, and suddenly the Black Knight was standing before them, menace emanating from his faceless visor. His black sword hissed out of the sheath, and Tam leaped forward, making sure he was between Jennet and the knight. He drew his own weapon - barely in time. Dark metal clanged against silver, the shock jarring him to the teeth.
The knight feinted left, then thrust forward with a strength that sent Tam stumbling back. Whoa - for a first fight, this game was pretty serious. Behind him, Jennet let out a cry, but all Tam’s attention was focused on his adversary. He had a feeling he couldn’t afford to lose this fight, but how could he possibly win?
He stabbed at the knight, who blocked his sword with a bone-shaking counterstroke. Damn, the guy wasn’t even using a shield. A series of hard blows rained down on Tam. Breath scraping his throat, he fell back under the power of that relentless assault. His shield arm began to ache from the jarring impact of the Black Knight’s blade.
Slowly, the knight pressed forward. None of Tam’s attacks seemed to touch him, though he was pretty sure he’d dented the guy’s armor in a couple places. Tam couldn’t let him get to Jennet. He risked a quick glance at her, to see that she was somehow frozen in a block of clear ice. Her staff was raised and her mouth was open, as if she’d been caught mid-yell.
Clang! Another blow to his shield forced Tam’s attention back to the battle. Ok. This was just an in-game fight. An intense one, sure, but there was a pattern here. Every game had a certain level of predictability, if you paid enough attention.
One, two, three sweeping strikes, then the Black Knight lifted his sword for an overhand slice. It wasn’t the first time the knight had made that series of moves. Tam scrambled out of the way, saving his strength. He wouldn’t attack again until the moment was right - but he still had to keep those deadly sword strokes at bay. He hoped his shield wouldn’t crack under the force of those massive blows.
The knight’s sword slid across his shield, then continued slicing down. Ow! The blade nicked him in the vulnerable area just above his gauntlets. It didn’t feel like a dangerous cut, but it stung. Tam sucked in his breath and kept fighting, kept watching. That combo of moves had to come soon.
Sure enough, after another punishing rain of strikes, the knight began that same series of swings Tam had seen before. This was it - his opening. He backed up and took a firm grip on his sword.
Now! The knight lifted his sword for the overhand attack, and Tam lunged forward with all his strength, the tip of his blade pointed straight toward the Black Knight’s chest.
His sword connected with a hollow thunk, then stuck right in the center of the knight’s armor. The Black Knight froze in place.
Silence descended, marred only by Tam’s ragged breaths. Slowly, he pulled his blade free. It was unmarked by blood, but there was a hole in the knight’s chest plate. Had he won?
“Tamlin,” the Black Knight said, his voice low and grave. “First fight to you.” He raised his sword in a half-salute. Then, just as suddenly as he had dismounted, he was once again astride his horse.
“Well well!” Puck cried, a merry note in his voice. “A fight fairly won.” He gestured at Jennet. The ice block cracked open, and she took a quick, stumbling step forward.
She glared at the sprite. “Unfair! You didn’t need to—”
“Of a surety, I did.” Puck swung about at the end of her staff. “A noble impulse, to aid your champion, but forbidden none
theless. But you, Tamlin…”
“Yes?” He sheathed his sword, but kept his hand resting lightly on the hilt.
“You are a truer champion than I would have guessed. Well fought, indeed. And now, in parting, I have a gift to bestow on you.” He brought one cupped hand to his mouth and puffed.
Glittering dust blew across Tam’s face.
“What the…?” He coughed and took a step backward.
Through blurred vision, he saw the little creature vault back onto the horse. In one smooth motion, the knight turned his steed and they galloped away, Puck’s mischievous laughter trailing behind.
“What was that?” Tam rubbed his eyes. “Was he trying to blind me or something?” Things slowly started coming back into focus, and he let out a breath.
“Fairy dust,” Jennet said. “It usually confers some kind of gift. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what, exactly. That is so like Puck.” She laid a hand on his arm. “Tam - you were prime, fighting the Black Knight like that. I would have helped, but,” she made a face, “you saw what Puck did. You didn’t need my help, though. You did great on your own.”
He shrugged, though pride warmed him through. “If I won, that was a weird way to show it. Usually stuff dies at the end, you know?”
“Feyland is, well… it’s unique.”
“Yeah - I’m gathering that.” He was also getting the feeling Jennet hadn’t told him a few important things about how Feyland worked. There was a totally different mood to this game, and he couldn’t quite figure it. Probably as they kept questing it would get clearer to him, but right now it was hard to sort. “Is Puck on our side?”
She tilted her head. “Puck is sort of a free agent, from what I’ve seen. Sometimes he helps with quests. Sometimes he doesn’t.”
“Speaking of quests - about this fetching water in a sieve…”
“What about it?”
“Where is my sieve? How does the inventory system work in here?”
“Oh - I should have explained earlier. Sorry. I was just so excited to get you in-game.” She gave him a repentant look. “Basically, you think of the thing you need, say the name, and it appears.”
“Anything? That’s a pretty advanced database.”
Jennet nodded. “There’s a couple catches, though. You can’t summon anything while you’re in combat. And the main thing is, calling anything saps your energy for a little while afterward, makes you vulnerable. The more complicated the item, the longer the recovery.” She glanced around. “Now is probably an okay time to try it, though.”
“Ok. Sieve.” He blinked in surprise as the metal mesh bowl appeared in his hands. A second later, a wave of weariness washed over him, weighting his arms and legs. “Now how do I get rid of it?”
“That’s easy –imagine your hands empty again and it will dematerialize.”
Sure enough, the sieve disappeared as soon as he imagined it gone. Freaky.
“Can I try some other stuff?”
“Sure,” she said. “Just don’t tire yourself out too much.”
“What about … Chocolate-chip cookies. The big ones, with lots of chips.” A stack appeared in Tam’s upturned hand. “Hey - these look great.”
He let himself collapse, cross-legged, on the ground, then lifted a cookie to his mouth. The interface was so good, he swore he could taste it. Except…
“These cookies taste like bananas,” he said.
“Yeah.” Jennet shook her head. “Apparently that’s the synthesist’s favorite flavor. They’re working on it, but right now, everything in-game tastes the same.”
He swallowed. “Good thing I tried it with cookies. I’d hate to take a big bite of banana-flavored pizza.”
She laughed, and the sound felt like warm rain on his skin. Tam liked the way she looked when she smiled. Maybe this playing together was going to work out, after all. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said the game was hard and she needed help. His help.
“That reminds me,” she said, her expression growing sober. “Except for food you summon, don’t eat or drink anything that someone here gives you.”
“No candy from strangers. I get it.”
“No, really.” She knelt to face him, her blue eyes serious. “Promise me, out loud.”
He vanished the cookies. Already he was feeling better - ready to get to their quest. “All right. I won’t eat or drink stuff that people here give me.”
“People or creatures. Promise it.”
“Fine. I won’t eat or drink anything that people or creatures give me. I promise.” As he spoke the last word, the air vibrated, as though somewhere far off a bell had tolled.
Jennet nodded. “Good. It’s a true pledge.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jennet glanced at Tam. She didn’t want to explain that he could get trapped in-world if he ate anything here. That would open up an entire barrel of worms that she wasn’t ready to talk about now. If ever.
She exhaled, letting the last of the fear leave her lungs, and pulled in a deep breath of sweet air. This first level of Feyland was supposed to be safe. She’d brought him in without much explanation because they weren’t supposed to get into any trouble at the beginning. Boy had she been wrong about that.
Nothing was going the way she’d planned. The elation of finally making it back in-game and picking up a quest that would lead to the next level had quickly curdled to fear when the Black Knight had shown up. She’d been sure he was going to pound Tam into the ground, then turn and fling her back outside the borders of Feyland.
But thanks to her champion, that hadn’t happened.
Tam had bested the Black Knight. She had been so afraid. So proud. She wished she could have helped, instead of being bound into frustrating immobility by Puck, but it made crazy sense. It was Tam’s test, after all.
“So, which way is the river?” Tam asked. He turned in a slow circle and the sunlight glinted off his armor.
She should call it now, and send him home. He’d done what he was supposed to - helped her reactivate the game quests. She could handle it from here. Besides, the Dark Queen was dangerous. It was Jennet’s responsibility to make sure Tam didn’t get too deep in-world.
“Well… we should probably log off.”
“What?” He turned to her, surprise in his green eyes. “We can’t just quit now. We have a quest to complete. Besides, I’m having fun.”
“Fun. Right.” She shook her head. Her idea of fun didn’t include being pummeled by ferocious knights. But then, guys were different that way.
Would it hurt if he came with her a little further? If they completed the quest together? It would be quick and easy, and it was so nice to have someone along. Someone strong. Someone she could trust.
“Come on, Jennet,” he said. “Let’s keep going.”
“All right,” she said, and was rewarded by a flash of his smile. “I think the river is this direction. There should be a trail.”
She took a firm grip on her staff and set off, away from Fynnod’s quiet cottage. The grasses around them swayed in the wind, and the sky was once more clear and bright.
Tam strode beside her, glancing to either side. “This is really tight world-building. Though I’m glad everything doesn’t smell like bananas too. Hey.” He paused. “Do you hear that?”
She cocked her head, but heard only the breeze rustling in the tall grass, birds chirping. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Someone’s calling for help.” He set his hand to his sword and turned to their left. “This way. Come on.”
“Tam, wait. Things here aren’t always what they seem…” She was talking to his back.
Stifling a sigh, she hurried after him. He was a good hero, but couldn’t he be a little more cautious? Then again, he didn’t truly understand what they were dealing with. And whose fault was that?
Guilt twisted through her.
All right. As soon as they got out, she’d talk to him and explain how, exactly, Feyland was dangerous. Whether
or not he’d believe her - well, that was a risk she had to take.
She caught up to Tam, who was turning a slow circle in the waist-high grass.
“I hear a voice,” he said, a note of frustration in his tone, “but there’s nobody here.”
Jennet lifted her shoulders. “Feyland can be strange that way. Things don’t always make sense. Come on, I see the trail. Don’t you want to finish our quest?”
“Wait.” He held up a hand, and then a startled look crossed his face. “Really? You are? Alright, let me see.”
She had the feeling he wasn’t talking to her - but she still didn’t hear anything except some bird calling nearby.
Tam dropped to his knees and began parting the grasses around them. “Look, here he is.”
“What? Who?” She peered over his shoulder.
He’d uncovered a hollow in the grasses, and there was something moving there. It was a small brown sparrow, flapping its wings desperately, but going nowhere. She bent forward, to see that one delicate foot was caught in a tiny snare. Poor thing.
“Shh,” Tam said, holding out one hand toward the bird. “Don’t be scared. We’ll get you out of this, no problem.”
“Is this who you heard calling for help? I mean, obviously he needs some assistance, but…”
“Yeah.” Tam’s nimble fingers worked on the twine that bound the bird, while a series of tweets and chirps issued from the little beak. “Can’t you understand him?”
“Um, no. But obviously you can.”
Tam nodded. “This is Skyward. Hold on, buddy, almost got it.” He worked the snare free and carefully slid it off Skyward’s tiny foot. The bird let out a few more chirps, and Tam dipped his head. “You’re welcome.”
With a startling flurry of wings, the sparrow shot up into the air. In moments he was just a brown speck against the blue. A cheerful trill drifted down to them, and then he was gone.
“Hm.” Jennet stared up into the empty sky, thinking. “I bet that was Puck’s gift - understanding the speech of animals.”
