“Isn’t it too big for my feet?” Torhan asked, and Domin rolled his eyes in response then turned his attention towards the western wall. “Oh great wall he doesn’t get it. The shoe is designed to be that way so that it can work by distributing the person’s weight over a large area allowing you to move over deep snow as if you were floating on top.” His eyes widened in excitement.
“Did you invent these?”
“I did, with the help of the wall of course?”
Torhan smiled. “We’ll need a few minutes, please.”
“Take your time, but hurry.” Domin laughed and walked into the back of the store.
Torhan turned towards Katara. “Since you have the ring you should go light with the upper fur. I’ll buy a spear and get the heavier coat.”
“Those snowshoes might come in handy too.” She added.
“I agree. Let’s get some gloves and maybe a hat as well.”
“What about your scabbard?”
“I’ll wrap it around the furs.”
“Do we have enough gold?”
Torhan drew forth the pouch, looked inside and then shook his head yes. “We’re ready.” He shouted towards the back.
Domin appeared instantly. “What will it be?”
Torhan purchased the fur jackets, pants, gloves, hats, and snowshoes, plus a few more furs to use as blankets and a score of arrows. Domin then tailored the furs to fit them as best as he could. When he was finished, they tested their mobility with what weapons they had and were very satisfied. Torhan paid him, bid Domin farewell, and left the store to brave the ever-growing snowstorm.
They stopped at the store called the Sharp Edge. Katara purchased a small metal shield, and Torhan bought a six-foot barbed spear, arrows, a dagger, and a belt large enough to fit around his furs. He tied his precious scabbard around his arm and placed the dagger in it.
“Pull on the scabbard.” Torhan said, referencing the one on his arm.
Katara yanked on it really hard and it wouldn’t budge. “How is that possible?
“I’m not sure. Grappin said it can only come off if I want it to. Where do you want to go?”
“Mystic Stone.”
They arrived at the Mystic Stone and found the building lackluster in appearance from the outside, but the inside was another story. It was dark and gothic, with poor lighting and strange-looking gargoyle statues sitting on the shelves. Tables adorned the room with low burning candles and incense burning. Their smoky smell permeated throughout the store adding a calming and alluring effect. Several people milled about. Suddenly a young woman, with long black hair, dressed in red robes, came and greeted them.
“Good day strangers, welcome to the Mystic Stone. I am Mistress Lernie owner and fortune teller. Feel free to browse and if you want your future laid out before you, please come to one of my tables and have a listen.”
Torhan nodded back to her, and they went about looking at the store’s wares.
“What are you looking for, in particular?” Torhan asked Katara once they started strolling around.
“I’ve always wanted to try the darker arts because it might be fun, plus I found a scroll that had a recipe for Black Fire and I wanted to see if it works.”
“Black Fire?”
“According to the scroll it enables the user to throw tiny balls of fire at its victims. Hopefully, her store will have the ingredients I need.”
“What do you think about Mistress Lernie telling us about our future?”
“I don’t buy into fortune tellers and found their messages to be very cryptic, but by all means talk to her, you never know.”
Torhan decided that he would and asked Mistress Lernie to do so, while Katara continued shopping. After they were seated, Mistress Lernie asked his name.
“My name is Torhan.”
“Torhan before we begin, know that the cards I place in front of you could mean a variety of things. Some you might recognize as events or people that have come to pass, while others will be vague, and you will not fully understand. Please do not hold me accountable for the outcome, by all means make your own assessment and try to heed their warnings. Do you understand?”
Torhan nodded.
“Let’s begin.” She placed three decks of cards in front of him. “Here are three decks of cards. The one on the left is named “Adventure." The one in the middle goes by the name of “Dreams," and the last one goes by the name “Life.” Please choose only one deck.”
Torhan stared at them for several long seconds. “I pick Adventure.” He said.
Mistress Lernie removed the other decks and started splitting the cards face down into three piles, instructing Torhan to choose only one pile. After doing so, she dealt eight cards face down and into four separate piles consisting of two cards each. Mistress Lernie turned over the cards on Torhan’s left. One card had a picture of a pair of hands clasped together, and the other one was a picture of an olive branch. She gazed down at them for several long seconds before speaking.
“The combination of these cards tells me that one of your childhood friends, who is very dear to you, is doing good deeds by helping others. I also feel that he is…” she paused, “is trying to help you in some way, but I do not know how.”
Torhan immediately thought of Jacko and wondered how his friend was actually trying to help him.
“Would you like to tell me what you’re thinking?” Mistress Lernie asked.
Torhan shook his head no, and she flipped over the second set of cards. The first was a picture of a gravestone and the other was a picture of a scorched tree.
“These two cards represent a person who takes great pleasure in hurting others. Be warned he is very cunning and dangerous.”
Grappin and Molech came to Torhan’s mind. “I have met two people that could fit that description.” He said.
“Remember, you might’ve met them already or are going to, so be on your guard.” She warned and proceeded to flip over the third pile of cards. One card was of a mouth, and the other was a pair of eyes. “Strange,” she began, “this set represents one of two things. Either the death of someone or life after death.” She studied the cards further. “I feel they mean the latter and there will come a time when the dead will contact you.”
Torhan was puzzled. “How?”
“I don’t know how, all I can say is that they will. Shall we continue?”
He nodded, and she turned over the last pair of cards. One was of dark skies, and the other was of a rainstorm. Upon seeing them, her eyes went wide and she gasped.
“What is it?” Torhan asked after seeing her expression.
“In all of the time that I’ve told fortunes, I’ve had never turned over these two cards together. They represent pure evil and will cost you a great deal of pain, suffering and possible death if this evil comes in contact with you. Please be really careful.” She warned emphatically.
“Can you tell me anything else about this evil?”
“I cannot.”
Katara approached them with a basket full of items and asked if they were finished. Mistress Lernie looked at Torhan, and he nodded that they were. He got up and paid her ten copper coins for the reading. Katara purchased her wares, and even though she didn’t find the components to create Black Fire, she was happy.
Outside, they were met by freezing rain. The sky was already turning dark, indicating they had spent too much time inside of the Mystic Stone. They decided to leave in the morning, no matter what the weather was like.
After they arrived at the inn, they placed their stuff in the room and came back down to eat. They sat off to the back of the room, at a private table, so that no one could listen to them. During the meal, they spoke about what Mistress Lernie had said. Katara offered her own insight about the meaning of the cards and warned him that he should take the Mistress’ reading with a grain of salt. When they finished, they returned to their room and went to sleep.
Katara slept soundly. Torhan dreamed he was standing on
a bluff overlooking an angry sea. The powerful waves pounded the rocky shoreline below. Behind him, he heard what sounded like a door opening, turned and saw a two-story stone cottage and a young girl, in her teens, emerging from the building.
She walked right up to him. “You are the reason why I do this.” She proclaimed and walked to the edge of the bluff, outstretched her arms, and spoke in a foreign language.
When she was finished, she turned around and walked toward the cottage, all the while grinning wickedly at Torhan as she passed. He watched her disappear back inside the building and then heard a loud thundering noise erupt from the sea. Torhan wheeled about and came face-to-face with a very large Water Tirip. The creature swayed back and forth, paralyzing him with fear. The Tirip created a watery arm with an oversized fist, drew it back slowly and then slammed him against his head.
Torhan awoke, startled, sweaty and scared, until he realized that he was dreaming. He took several deep breaths to calm himself. Looking out of the window, he noticed dawn was still hours away, so he laid there pondering his dream and what it meant, until the sound of sleet gently hitting the windowpane lulled him back to sleep.
A few hours later, Katara woke to the sound of hail bouncing off of the window. She rolled over and noticed Torhan was already awake and staring up at the ceiling.
“I slept like a baby, how about you?” She asked.
“I didn’t because I had the strangest dream involving a teenage girl…” he paused trying to recall the dream, “I was standing on a bluff, and the girl summoned what must have been a thirty-foot Water Tirip.”
“You have some imagination, because they can only grow to six feet,” Katara said. “Did you recognize the girl?”
“No, but in the dream, she said that I was the reason why she called forth the guardian.”
“Well I hope you don’t anger anyone like that.” Katara laughed. “Don’t read too much into the dream, it’s just your subconscious.”
After preparing for their trek, they stepped out of the inn into a light hail and chilly wind. The furs were so insulated that if it wasn’t for their faces being exposed, they would’ve never known it was cold out.
“I don’t even feel the cold, do you?” Torhan asked.
“Only on my face. These furs are great.”
“It looks like the snow is really deep over there.” Torhan said, pointing towards the path they had to travel.
“I guess it’s time that we find out if these shoes actually work.” Katara placed the snowshoes on. “If they don’t I’m getting our money back.” She said and began walking around.
Torhan put his on as well, went over to the deep snow, and walked around. At first, the shoes were a bit clumsy, but once he got used to it, he thought it was like walking on solid ground. Some of the parents and children, walking nearby, made comments about their strange-looking shoes, but Katara and Torhan ignored them and left when they were ready.
By mid-afternoon, they arrived at the small grove of trees that priest Piersum said Tole was supposed to live in, and stopped just short of entering.
“We should be really cautious.” Torhan warned
“I agree. When we find Tole what’s our plan?”
“I was thinking the direct approach about the amulet might be best.”
“What do you mean the direct approach? Tell him about Sybil and how we want to use the amulet to free her? If he did kill her parents, don’t you think he’ll try to do the same to us?”
“Then what do you propose?” Torhan said and took out his waterskin for a long, refreshing swig.
Katara thought about it. “Maybe we should tell him we are relic seekers and offer him money if we find the amulet.”
“That sounds like a good plan, but what if he gets suspicious?” He said and offered her the waterskin.
She grabbed it and took a sip of water. “Then we hit him over the head and force him to tell us.”
Torhan chuckled. “That sounds like a better plan. It looks like the snow isn’t as deep inside the grove.” He said, and they removed their snowshoes and entered.
After walking for a while, Torhan began feeling as if they were being watched. The feeling grew to the point that he became uneasy and slowed his pace. He gazed at the scabbard, expecting the artifact to confirm his suspicions, but it didn’t.
“Do you get the feeling we’re being watched?” Katara asked.
“I do, but the scabbard isn’t glowing.”
“Does it always work?”
“It hasn’t let me down yet. Let’s keep moving.” Torhan said and held his spear in a protective manner.
They walked until Katara thought she heard something somewhere off to her right, and signaled for her companion to stop. She equipped herself with her shield and her father’s mace called Righteous. Gripping the weapon tightly, she carefully scanned the area, listening intently for several minutes, before motioning for them to continue.
Eventually, they came upon a part of the forest where fallen trees, thick shrubbery, and dense trails hindeed their progress, slowing them considerably. Torhan was about to comment about the area when the scabbard glowed intensely. Alarmed, they stood defensively with their weapons in hand. In the next instant, they heard a horse galloping towards them. Torhan’s dagger left the scabbard, flew off in that direction and was lost from sight. A few seconds later, the horse stopped abruptly and the sound of fighting ensued.
“We need to get out of here.” Torhan said.
They were about to leave when a creature, covered in black-and-white fur and holding a large spear, jumped over a fallen tree and stopped directly in front of them. The monster’s head, chest, and arms were that of a powerful ape, and the lower half was that of a horse. The half-ape, half-horse creature glared at them with hatred, raising its spear high into the air and licking its sharp protruding fangs. The creature reared up on its hind legs, and charged. Katara and Torhan rolled away from the thundering beast and were on their feet again rather quickly. The beast turned, stopped, and threw its spear at Torhan, missing him by a few feet.
The beast was about to charge them again when it was hit in the back by something, howled in agony, then turned around to engage a floating dagger. Torhan advanced on the creature. Katara was about to do the same when another ape-horse beast, with many wounds from a recent encounter with Torhan’s dagger, came leaping into the clearing on her blind side, with a massive club poised and ready to strike. The creature tried taking her head off with the weapon as it passed, but at the very last second, Katara deflected the attack with her shield. However, the powerful blow sent her to the ground.
Torhan heard the commotion and turned around. When he saw Katara on the ground and the creature, he dropped his spear, grabbed his bow off of his shoulder, quickly notched an arrow and fired. Unfortunately, his aim wasn’t true and he missed. The creature wheeled about and charged headlong towards Katara, who was still on the ground, intent on crushing her beneath its hooves.
Torhan fired another arrow, and this time, hit the monster in the shoulder, causing the beast to stop a few feet from Katara. Torhan quickly fired again and hit it the chest. The beast howled in anguish and pulled the arrows out. It was about to charge after Torhan, when Katara whacked it twice in its left hind leg, shattering its bone with a loud crack and sending the half-mare to the ground. The ape-horse tried standing several times but fell back down.
Katara was on her feet again and while she was positioning herself above its head, the beast grabbed her leg and yanked her off of her feet with a mighty pull. With a vice-like grip, the hybrid pulled her closer to his waiting mouth. Katara thrashed and kicked with her free leg until she connected with its nose and broke it. The beast let go of her leg and Katara unleashed hell, in the form of her mace, against his head. The first strike dazed the monster; the following ones cracked open its skull, spilling its brains onto the cold, snowy ground.
Across the way, while the Torhan’s dagger was still fighting the other ape c
reature, he launched several arrows at the beast, with the last being a carefully well-placed shot that ended its life. The dagger stabbed the creature a few more times before returning to its home, until the scabbard stopped glowing altogether.
Torhan helped Katara up.
“What the hell are they?” She said, gazing at the beast.
“No idea, I just hope there isn't any more of them.” He looked over at her fallen shield, which had a big dent right in the center. “Are you ok?” He asked.
“My arm hurts, but I should be alright. The shield took the brunt of the blow.” She said and painfully removed her fur coat. “Inside of my pack there’s a small, disk-shaped container. Can you get it for me?”
Torhan nodded and fished through her pack until he found it.
“Now I need you to help me out of the armor.” She said. Gingerly, they took her wounded limb out of the chainmail shirt. Katara opened the container and rubbed a black, gooey ointment all over her forearm and shoulder.
“That feels better. I can feel it working already.” She said.
After they placed her armor back on and retrieved Torhan’s weapons, they left.
Snuggled deep inside of several bushes, the master of the grove watched with fascination as the two strangers killed his pets. It was not easy for him to do, but he knew it was necessary if he wanted to gauge their abilities. With a broad smile, he decided to continue his little game, by leading them around the forest for several more hours, before putting his plan into action.
****
“You know this area is starting to look vaguely familiar.” Torhan said after another hour of walking.
“This isn’t a grove; it’s more like an endless maze. If we don’t find him soon we should go back and force priest Piersum to show us where he lives.”
“If we don’t find him soon we’re going to have to stop for the night.”
They pressed on until the area darkened, and they were exhausted.
After finding an appropriate place to camp, Torhan retrieved some dry wood and lit a small fire. They ate a meal of dried beef and nuts, then cleared an area on the ground for them to lay comfortably under their blankets. Katara fell asleep right away, while Torhan watched the dancing flames, deep in thought. He was thinking about demons in general, when a glass container shattered against a nearby tree and engulfed the area in a cloudy white smoke. The haze overwhelmed him quickly and he was ushered into a deep sleep.
A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set Page 42
