Aphrodite's Acolyte

by J. E. Spatafore

  Fidel was taken back for a few moments, not realizing Abby's opinion in the matter, and disappointed in himself for not asking. “I am sorry Abby. I should have been more sensitive to your opinion in this. Are you sure you want to go?”

  It was Abby's turn to be taken back. “That is not what I meant. I am in this to the end. Danger does not scare me, the gods know I have seen plenty of it.” She ran her hand along the scar on her face and continued, “I fear for you. Not because you are not capable, far from it. But because you have a lot to lose. Think about it. Four sets of parents in your life, at least two pair of which continue to live. Two homes where you are welcome. And two lords whom have shown great interest in you. You have it all. What happens if you lose?”

  Fidel sat down in one of the chairs, putting his hand up to his chin and rubbing it for a moment. “Abby, I know this. It is why I continue. While I have much, by not fighting these fights, by not going after such cretins, I believe I would have chosen the path of fear. Comfort is nice, but I believe comfort leads to complacency. I do not want to lose heart. And, most of all, I do not want to lose faith. Becoming a merchant does not interest me. Neither would I prefer being a guard. I do not want routine. In my heart, I know I need purpose and I know my purpose does not lie in the limits of a city or the labor of a farm. Something inside me craves adventure.”

  Fidel paused for a moment. “I know what I do not want. The road has a way to show me what I do. I am an elf, eighty-two years old, and I have only really been on a road to either please my parents or to meet them. This is a journey I must take, and I am so happy to share it with my first and my newest friend.” He let the words linger in the air and gave Abby an endearing look of appreciation.

  Abby's eyes filled with moisture at his final statement. Both her and Fidel turned their gazes toward the road, waiting for the blond-haired and blue-eyed elf known as Cap to arrive.

  Grelin heard it all, sitting on Fidel's bed and watching the two outside from Fidel's window. He wore an expression both proud and grim. He stood and headed up the stairs, opening a secret panel that led to a secret room. A room containing all his old adventuring gear. He knew how he could help.

  He picked out his and Asante's old traveling daggers. Twin daggers set with a emeralds on the pommel stone which glowed with a faint green hue. Then he grabbed a belt with a very wide buckle, also set with an emerald. He headed down the stairs and out the front door with haste.

  Grelin held up the daggers and belt before the duo. “I have something for you two.” He handed the daggers to Abby and the belt to Fidel. “These items contain the same enchantments. They increase the speed of your movements two-fold. Surely they will assist you on your journey and allow you to return to us safely.” Grelin gave the two a stern look, “Do not lose them. They were expensive!”

  Fidel put the belt on, tightening it just enough around his armor and smiled.

  Abby gave her existing daggers to Grelin, “Keep those safe as well. They may not be magical, but they are certainly sentimental.”

  Grelin nodded and Abby took her two new daggers. Abby performed some routines in the air, noting how much faster she was able to maneuver her weapons. She tossed a grin Grelin's way and nodded her head in thanks and appreciation.

  Cap arrived with a pack and plenty of camping gear, almost appearing overloaded. Fidel and Abby laughed at the amount of gear the blond-haired elf was carrying.

  Fidel chuckled and called out to the blonde-haired elf, “You did bring a basin with you, I hope!”

  Cap smirked and reached into his bag, pulling out a pan. “How's this?”

  Fidel helped Cap remove his pack and they all went into the house. Fidel then grabbed his own bag and looked at Cap as he put Cap's pack inside the magic bag. Cap darted over, awestruck by the magical contraption.

  “Where can I get one?” Cap asked.

  Fidel shrugged, “My fourth father gave it to me. Pretty magnificent, isn't it?” Cap nodded. The family and friends then sat down for a farewell supper, Grelin leading a toast to a safe return. Fidel handed one of the magical rings to Cap and instructed him to put it on.

  After the meal of roasted pig was stripped of all its meat, it was time to head out. Abby and Cap thanked Fidel's parents for the hospitality and headed out the front door to the street, giving Fidel the appropriate privacy to say good-bye to his parents.

  Fidel hugged his parents together, promising he would return safely. They shared in a few departing tears. Asante and Grelin escorted Fidel to the door and watched as Fidel and his companions departed on their quest.

  Fidel looked back more than twice, each turn reminding him of a similar scene just under two months previous. He couldn't help but think how things change but remain the same. He found comfort in that thought.

  The trio, each riding a thoroughbred, reached the gates of Puldechra in no time. The gates creaked in protest as they opened for the riders. They looked to one another, each sporting a wide grin. They trotted through the gates to the road, their backs to the sun as it began its dip over the horizon. They rode hard, trying to get as far as possible with the remaining light fading away fast.

  Chapter VI

  More Than Expected

  For three nights and two days, they made several stops at the various temples in the forests of Puldechra. They zig-zagged through the forest canopies as efficiently as possible. On the third morning, as Abby was out on patrol, she caught a whiff of the most revolting stench she had ever smelled. She followed the rotten smell, ducking in and out of trees, being certain to stay downwind.

  As she rounded a large spruce, she saw a large line of gray tinted bodies lining the path ahead. She walked down the path, thinking the bodies were remnants of a caravan. As she closed in on the source of the stench, a faint horn sounded and the bodies stirred, as if summoned to the attention of some unknown force.

  She climbed the closest tree and rested on the thickest and lowest branch, gaining a view of the camp below. The gray and animated bodies appeared to go on for a long distance. Abby tried counting them but their movements made her count unreliable. She stayed on her stomach on the branch, watching the group as it formed much like a trained army would assemble for battle.

  The army consisted mostly of humans with several dwarves and elves. The infantry appeared just as alive as any living being would. The only differences Abby noted were all their pupils, as well as their skin, were silvery-gray in color. Abby could discern the army was heading east, away from Puldechra, toward the Rivolus desert.

  She used her magical communication ring to inform her male companions of her discovery. Fidel responded back, requesting her to return to camp. As Abby was descending from her high perch, a gust of wind grabbed her scent and carried it to the regiment, with more than one soldier taking notice. She scurried up the tree, passing her original station and climbing higher. She calmly requested help through her magical communication ring.

  A couple of soldiers broke from ranks to investigate the whiff of the lively essence. Abby was high in the tree doing her best to cloak herself from the ground and appearing no more than an extension of the branch for which she resided. The investigators stopped at Abby's tree and looked around. One of the investigators grabbed a handful of the crushed leaves at the base of the tree and inhaled deeply. After a few heartbeats, he pulled out his sword, prompting the second investigator to do the same.

  Abby whispered into the ring. “This is not good. They know I am here.” She received no response. Abby's heart started to beat faster. She stayed very still, hoping her disguise would win out. The two investigators split up, apparently to cover more ground.

  Abby heard Fidel come across the communicator. “Get out your bow. Look to your right.”

  Abby looked to her right and saw Cap climbing a tree a few feet away. She looked to her left and saw Fidel walking straight up the path. Clearly, he intended the investigators to take notice. He pulled the hood of his blue robe over his head and used h
is staff as a walking stick.

  “Are you deranged?!” she whispered into the communicator. She slowly pulled out her bow and extracted an arrow from her quiver. She could see across the way that Cap was almost in position and ready to do the same.

  A few yards up the path from Abby's tree, the guards finally noticed Fidel and moved to place themselves between Fidel and the remaining army.

  “Halt!” the first guard, a tall gray human, spoke. “This road is closed.”

  Fidel looked up at the guards, his face contorting into curiosity as he placed his gaze on the second guard, a dwarf with red-hair and gray eyes, holding an axe and a shield.

  “May I ask how I can gain entrance to the Rivolus Desert if this particular road is closed?” Fidel requested of the soldiers. Fidel couldn't take his eyes off the dwarf, the creature returned the gaze just as curiously.

  The human responded sarcastically. “Head south a few miles then head east. You can turn north again at any point you would like.”

  Fidel looked to the human and smiled, then thanked him for the information. He turned his back toward the group to comply with the instructions.

  As Fidel took his first step, the human offered a warning. “I do suggest you stay out of the Rivolus desert.”

  The dwarf reached out and grabbed Fidel's arm, turning the elf to face him, “Do I know ye, elf?”

  Fidel stared at the dwarf, “I do not believe so. The only dwarf I have spent more than a moment with in my life had orange eyes and fairly tan skin. But he did have red hair like your own.”

  The comment about his appearance made the dwarf visibly uncomfortable. The dwarf questioned the elf. “Did ye do battle with this dwarf yer speaking of?”

  Fidel grinned, “Indeed I did. It was the only time we met. The battle did not end with my hand leading the final blow.” The dwarf's gray eyes intensified, confirming to Fidel the dwarf was the one he had battled a few short weeks ago. Fidel continued, “The battle did, however, end. The dwarf I battled would not be standing here unless it was against his will or some unnatural event. Surely, good dwarf, you could understand the confusion.”

  The dwarf looked hard at Fidel, intensity turning to rage at the implication of being unnatural. The dwarf then looked at his human counterpart, who appeared uninterested in the conversation.

  The dwarf spun on the human and directed his downward chop to the human's head, slicing through the skull and dropping him in one swoop. The dwarf hesitated for a moment, thinking the human would bounce right back up and continue the battle.

  The human was still, no signs of movement. After a few heartbeats, a white light started forming around the human. The white aura then converged into a glowing orb, rose into the trees, and flew toward Puldechra. The dwarf pulled his axe from the human's head, and place it on the holster on his back. He looked to Fidel, who was in shock at the situation.

  “Elf, we have not been formally introduced,” started the dwarf. “Thee name's Noxater Praeli, of Deeder's Pass.” he held out his hand to shake Fidel's. Fidel complied, still rather dumbfounded at the event that took place before him. “It twas I ye fought in the desert not so long ago.”

  Fidel finally found the strength to speak. “Good to meet you, Noxater. My name is Fidel, formerly of Harlow's Hovel and now residing in Puldechra.”

  They completed their hand shake and Noxater continued, “Y'll need to leave soon. That light, I fear, is reporting me fellow guard's demise. This army I am part of is vast. We are all gray. We all know we's dead. We know we's controlled. We know our existence is unnatural. We do not know why.”

  Fidel interjected, “Why did you kill your comrade?”

  The dwarf looked down at the human then back to Fidel, a hint of remorse in his eyes. “He was a good man and killin' him was not me wish. But I needed this time alone. We are never alone. I needed to tell ye of this army. Somethin' is wrong with this land.” Just then, the dwarf noticed the amulet on Fidel's neck. “That is what's wrong.” Noxater continued, “We are under thee control of thee Madame Medeis of Puldechra. You must warn thee realms of this impending doom of our army's march. I fear we's heading to Harlow's Hovel judging by our direction.”

  A horn sounded twice in the distance, apparently to alert Pravas' silver army. The dwarf's face contorted, apparently fighting for control of his actions. He turned to face the direction of the horn and started to march toward the sound. As he was walking away, Fidel could hear the dwarf call out, “Find t' madame. End this for us, please! And make that body look like an animal attack!”

  Fidel looked down at the human body before him. He searched the body for anything out of the norm, not finding any clues. He prepared the body to look like a trip and fall accident by setting a rock next to it and performing some heinous actions to complete the disguise.

  Abby and Cap showed up shortly after and the trio collected their horses. The group listened to the human's advice by heading south then east toward the desert, intending on following this army. During their ride, Fidel requested Grelin to meet with Lord Fineal on their findings. He also requested Grelin to send warning of the potential invasion to Harlow's Hovel.

  The trio realized they were now the scouting group for the defense of Harlow's Hovel. They followed their role for the next few days to perfection. They kept to the enemy's southern flank, keeping their distance from the army to prevent detection, and kept to only the moon's light during their evenings. After a few days into their desert trip, the army stopped their advance on Harlow's Hovel, confusing the trio of scouts.

  “It's been two days, they're not advancing,” Cap stated.

  Abby chimed in. “This would not be expected from an invading army.”

  Fidel offered a thought, “Perhaps they are waiting for some more regiments to join them?”

  Cap thought hard on Fidel's statement, not seeing any signs from the south. “That's probably it Fidel. We'll need to split up and cover the north, east, and west.”

  Abby didn't like the idea of splitting up, but concurred with the decision as the best for the group overall. The trio split camp and each headed in their respective directions. Fidel took the eastern route as he had his own reasons to prevent advancement on Harlow's Hovel. Cap took the western coverage, certain he should be the first contact for any potential Puldechran reinforcements that may join the defense. Abby took the north because she was the fastest of the group and able to get into position quicker.

  As the group each took up positions, closer to the army than they would have been if together, they started to report back what they saw over their communication rings. The army was building a town of sorts. Several tents, their poles set deep in the ground, instead of the simple stakes one would expect from a traveling army.

  In the middle of the camp stood a base with the start of what appeared to be a very large booted foot. The majority of the activity was focused on the construction of the apparently large statue. Several platoons, dispatched by an unknown leader, collected sand and water, creating a clay-like substance that was molded. A couple of days of continued scouting revealed the statue to be taking form of the God of Knowledge, Apollo.

  A few days passed and the army completed the statue of Apollo. From the west, Cap called Fidel, announcing the arrival of a black-robed female with at least a score of gray skinned body guards accompanying her, and a peculiar crown of ivy upon her head. The body guards carried shovels and quickly went to work digging a ditch circling the camp. The ditch was only a couple of feet deep, not a very good defense for the camp.

  Fidel, perplexed by the activity, asked the group why such a shallow ditch would be used to defend the camp. Abby, always able to see the possibilities from a less than honorable perspective, offered up the suggestion that the ditch was to keep the soldiers in. Fidel peered down on the scene, watching as a battalion of the soldiers placed barrels of some type of liquid into the newly formed ditches. The barrels laid end to end, forming a complete circle around the camp.

&
nbsp; Fidel's mind raced as he analyzed the situation. He came to the same conclusion as Abby. He announced to all listening on the rings, “This evening is the moment of faith. Those barrels, when lit, will prevent any retreat. The army is the offering!”

  Shortly after his announcement, Lord Fineal's voice could be heard from the communication network. “Fidel, is the woman in black Pravas Medeis?”

  Abby, remembering the name and the look by the meeting in the hall of the castle, jumped on the communication chain, “Yes. She is the one in the black robe, orchestrating the army's movements.”

  Fineal stated his armies are a day out. He asked if the group believed they could stop or delay the massacre. The trio of scouts confirmed they were up for the challenge. Fidel stated he could launch a fireball, creating a premature ignition of the firewall. Cap, upset at the affirmation of Medeis, said he could put an arrow through her heart. Abby said she could follow any direction needed.

  The mind-controlled army assembled for their worship to Apollo, rows and rows of the unwilling faithful forming multiple circles around the god statue.

  Fineal requested the group to count the offering, reminding them, “Remember, there must one thousand simultaneous deaths. We don't have to kill everyone there, we just need to reduce it to less than a thousand.”

  The counts came in a few moments later, over thirteen hundred souls being offered. Clearly, Medeis had taken some contingencies into account. Fineal ordered Cap to take up point, keeping an arrow trained on Medeis. He requested Fidel and Abby to get closer to the bank and reminded them to not cross the trench.

  As they got into position, Fineal discussed the final plan with the group over their magical rings. “The murder of these poor souls is inevitable,” Fineal stated, “Unfortunately, you will have to witness a macabre event that will probably make you ill and test your tolerance. I pity your position. But I need you all to remain focused as you can steal the victory from Pravas this night.” Fineal continued, “For a brief period, when the life stealing flash subsides, you will see the life forces of all these poor souls converge into a single globe of light, about the size of a fist. That globe must be merged with Pravas' amulet to complete the amulets fourth point.”