by Sam Ferguson
Moose sighed and walked to the bench. He sat down and the elf with the tattoo left the cell. The stone wall closed and the noise from the arena was fully blocked. The giant man sighed and leaned back against the cold, stone wall and closed his eyes. He had no idea the surprises the night would bring.
CHAPTER 10
Moose sat alone in his cell for about an hour before the elf returned. He spent the time hoping that Ziegler would figure out a way to come and free him from the prison he was in. He couldn’t understand how these elves had the kind of magic they did. It was unnatural, and Moose detested everything about it. He prayed to the gods, and to the demigods, hoping someone would hear him and send him help. When he finally heard footsteps coming toward his cell, he almost dared to hope that it was his captain, coming to free him at last. He looked up, hoping and wishing for it to be one of his comrades.
It wasn’t.
The tattooed elf had returned, and this time he wore a large smile on his ugly, tattooed face and he gripped the bars of the cell excitedly. Moose stood up to hear what his instructions were.
“Only three other champions passed the preliminary round,” he said with a wicked cackle. “That means you only have to kill three other champions.”
Moose nodded resignedly.
The elf continued on, saying, “This time will be different. You will walk to the center of the arena, where there will be five swords resting upon the ground. You are to pick one up, and then salute all five houses. The head of each house will be watching from his or her respective balcony. Afterward, a trumpet will sound and you will walk back to the tunnel you emerged from, this helps the audience build up their anticipation, see? And then you will hear another trumpet. On the second trumpet, you will charge the center and slay the other champions. Do you understand?”
Moose nodded.
“And, don’t even think about going soft on me again. I will waste no time in forcing your cooperation, do you understand?”
Moose nodded again. “Kill them all and bring honor to you, my master,” he said. “I understand.”
The elf sneered and nodded, then he gestured to the stone wall and it started to open.
“I will go up and take my seat now.”
Moose walked up the tunnel and stood quietly at the final portcullis. The second portcullis dropped behind him and the one in front opened. He emerged to tumultuous applause. He glanced at the other champions. The one on his left was a brown colored Kratii. He was large, but still at least a foot shorter than Moose. The next champion was a green Kratii with a yellow torso. He was heavily muscled and had large fangs protruding from his snout. Still, Moose was confident he would be walking away from this fight with ease. Then he saw the fourth champion and his heart sank.
“Bull,” he whispered aloud to himself.
No, he couldn’t fight Bull. There had to be a way out of this. He couldn’t let these deranged elves force him to slay Bull. At that moment, Bull saw him and he nodded sadly. It was obvious to Moose that Bull was in the same predicament.
Moose approached the center where the swords were arranged upon the dirt. The moon had risen and was shining in its full glory down into the arena. Bull smiled up at Moose.
“They got you too?” Bull asked.
Moose smiled. “They can control us, make us fight,” Moose said.
“I know,” Bull said. “I tried to fight the spell, but my body acts on its own if I don’t fight.”
The two Kratii clicked and clacked, but didn’t speak.
They bent down to pick up their swords. Moose and Bull did the same.
“I won’t fight you,” Moose said.
“We won’t have a choice,” Bull replied. “There’s nothing we can do.”
The Kratii turned and saluted each house. Bull and Moose turned and did the same. As Moose went through the motions of saluting each house on the balcony, he formed a plan.
“Bull, listen,” the houses each have one leader who can use the magic that controls us, right,” he said quickly.
“Yeah, so?” Bull asked.
“So my house is sitting in the balcony above my tunnel, where is yours?”
Bull replied quickly, “The ones who control me are in the balcony adjacent to your tunnel.”
Moose smiled. “Do me a favor then,” Moose pleaded. “When the trumpets sound, fend these Kratii off of me while I try something.”
“What are you going to do?” Bull asked as he saluted the last of the balconies.
The first trumpet blew.
“Just trust me,” Moose said. “Do what you can.”
“I will,” Bull promised.
The four champions walked back to their starting positions. Moose eyed the pillar next to his tunnel. The balcony his master was seated in hung over the pillar, and over the tunnel. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try. He moved into position next to the pillar and turned around. He raised his arm and offered a final salute to Bull, who was standing on the opposite side of the arena.
The second trumpet sounded and the crowd rose to their feet and cheered.
Moose tossed his sword to the ground and turned to the pillar. He wrapped his massive arms around it, clasped his hands together and pulled against it with all of his might. He knew the Kratii would come for him first, he had his back to them and was an easy target. His only hope was that Bull would reach them before they got to him. A crack rippled through the pillar and the balcony above shifted dangerously. Moose grunted and pulled, the pressure building in his arms, back, and face.
“GAAHHH!” he yelled as the stone pillar cracked again and began to come along with him.
He then heard the deadly snarl of a Kratii warrior closing in on him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the brown lizard sprinting for him. The thought crossed his mind to give up and reach for his sword, but he couldn’t turn back now. He had to try and kill the masters who could control him and Bull.
A second later a sword spun through the air and sunk deep into the neck of the brown lizard and the warrior was knocked to the side before he could reach Moose.
“I’m here!” Bull gasped.
The next Kratii jumped toward him, but Moose turned away, trusting that his friend would shield him just a few seconds more. The stone above cracked again, and a huge hunk of marble fell to the ground beside Moose. A second later the bottom third of the pillar popped out and the balcony began to tumble down. Moose turned and pushed Bull out of the way as two balconies came crashing down fifty feet to land in a jumbled mess. Most of it fell into the arena, but there were large hunks of the balconies the crushed audience members in the lower level.
All at once there was a slight tingle in Moose’s neck as a magical power grabbed hold of him. He turned and reached out with his bare hands to finish the second Kratii, who was standing stunned at the sight of the collapse. Then he turned to Bull.
Bull looked at him quizzically, and then turned his attention to the heap of rubble. Moose ran for Bull, but Bull outpaced him, running toward the tattooed elf, who was half buried in the rubble, but was stretching his arm out toward Moose. The bald-headed warrior drove his sword down into the elf’s neck and through his chest, killing him and breaking the spell on Moose.
Moose instantly regained control of his body and the tingling in his neck vanished.
“Archers!” Bull called out and pointed up to the other balconies.
Moose nodded and ran for the pillar opposite the one he had just collapsed. An arrow struck him in the left shoulder, but he didn’t stop. He kept his eyes on the next pillar, determined to bring the arena down on the sick elves that lorded over it. He managed to reach the pillar, but only after another arrow struck his right thigh. The burning pain ripped through his body, but he didn’t let it stop him. He barreled into the pillar, cracking it just under the weight of his body. Then he grabbed it like the first and began pulling.
Another pain stabbed into his lower back, and two ripped into his buttocks. Another struck the
outside of his right thigh and he could feel the strength leaving his body.
“Don’t pull, push!” Bull shouted from behind.
“What?” Moose bellowed over his shoulder.
“PUSH THE PILLAR!” Bull shouted again.
Moose switched directions and pushed into the pillar with everything he had. A moment later, Bull lunged into the pillar as well, adding his strength to Moose’s. Together, they brought the second pillar down. They tumbled to the ground as hunks of marble fell all around them. They looked up and saw the connecting beams, which had depended upon all four pillars to hold up the balconies, were now crumbling and cracking. The other two pillars toppled out into the arena and the two stalwart warriors shared a proud smile as the arena collapsed all around them.
Then, a great shadow was cast over them as a heap of rubble and stone fell on top of them. Some of the impact was absorbed by the piles already heaped up around them, but what force wasn’t diverted by the stone nearby was enough to crush them. Moose felt his legs and right arm break under the weight. He cried out in pain, as did Bull. Moose’s breathing became shallower, and his sight began to blur.
The last thing Moose remembered after the building had collapsed was the sound of Bull breathing out for the last time. Moose looked up to the moon through the tiniest of cracks between all of the rubble that had smothered him and he smiled at it.
“Take me home Nagé, for I have finished my fight,” he said. His hand went to his side to find a cigar, but then he smiled when he remembered that the elves had taken those from him. He offered a half snort, and then his body went weak and he succumbed to his wounds.
*****
Jonathan felt a mix of delight and horror as he saw the first pillar crumble under Moose’s strength.
Elantra rose from her seat, obviously stunned by the display of strength.
“We have a saying where I am from,” Jonathan told Elantra. She turned to look at him with an open-mouthed stare. Jonathan smiled. “Never taunt a moose, for it will destroy your entire house, even if it breaks its back to do so.”
Elantra snapped her fingers and Jonathan’s mouth was forced shut.
Jonathan then saw Moose running toward his balcony, and he realized that Moose was not about to stop until the entire arena was demolished.
Elantra saw Jonathan’s gaze and turned back around. She snapped her fingers and shouted to her brothers. “Shoot him!” Elantra’s brothers retrieved bows from the back wall of the balcony and then ran forward to fire at Moose.
Jonathan tried to step forward, but the magical force held him in place.
Elantra moved in close and held up a finger. “You will watch your friend die!” she sneered.
Jonathan struggled against the spell. He brought up all of his rage, all of his anger, and all of his fear, and focused it just on moving his hand. He could see Elantra’s eyes taunting him, but he tried anyway. Elantra’s brothers pulled back their arrows and took aim. Jonathan started yelling within his mind. It grew louder and louder until his right hand formed into a fist and his arm launched up and punched Elantra in the face. She gasped and was knocked into her brothers just as they released their arrows. Jonathan seized upon the freedom. He grabbed the chair in front of him, picked it up, and rammed Elantra with the legs, pinning her and her brothers against the railing of the balcony. One of the legs caught Elantra in the throat, and Jonathan heard a strange crunching sound. The brothers then pushed back, knocking Jonathan to his rump, but Elantra was already finished, it seemed, for she was desperately gasping for air and none would come to her. She clutched at her throat, wide eyed and gaping like a fish upon land.
Her brothers turned to Jonathan and advanced on him.
Jonathan turned and saw the hawk fluttering its wings and squawking loudly with the blinders on. He kicked the perch out toward the brothers, buying himself just enough time to run out and down the narrow corridor. He heard loud shouting behind him and then a terrible, thunderous crack rippled through the hall. The building shook and screams of terror erupted all around. Jonathan tumbled down the last few steps and out the doorway just as the corridor collapsed behind him. Smoke and dust billowed out into a large cloud in all directions. Jonathan immediately thought of Bull and Moose. They were still inside. He watched helplessly as hunks of stone and wooden beams continued to rain down to the ground for several seconds.
There was nothing he could do for them, he knew, but he stood and watched anyway, hoping that they would walk out from the rubble, laughing and shouting as they always did. Just this once, he wanted to see Moose come out and light up one more cigar.
No matter how long he waited, Moose never did come out.
Worse than that, sand elves were running in from all around the city now. Amidst crying and wailing, Jonathan could clearly hear shouts of anger. He turned to see several fingers pointed at him, and he knew he had to run. He turned and sprinted up toward Elantra’s tent.
Several elves gave chase.
Jonathan ran for all he was worth, letting out a scream in the process, but the elves were closing in fast. They wore the same clothes that Elantra had been wearing, and he knew they were from the same house. If they caught him, they would surely kill him for the death of their leader and her brothers.
Then, from a tent to the left, Ruben stepped out and aimed his hand over Jonathan’s head. A triple blast of lightning shot out and blasted the pursuers. Ruben then waved frantically for Jonathan to join him in the large tent.
Jonathan smiled, relieved that he had at least found one other member of their group, but his jaw nearly hit the floor when he went inside and saw the truth of the matter. Ziegler, Jason, and Miranda were all inside the tent. There were four elves bound and gagged around the center pole, and twenty feet beyond that was a tall, slender elf snoring loudly beneath a plant that looked something like a petite tree.
“It’s a kavelder tree,” Ruben said, pointing to the miniature tree. “It is highly prized among druids for its medicinal properties.”
Jonathan screwed up his face, dissatisfied with the lackluster explanation.
“It aids those who have trouble sleeping. The pollen in the small flowers is very potent. I was able to release it and then free myself from the restraints they had me in.”
“Restraints?” Jonathan asked. “The one who took me could control me with her mind.”
Ruben looked at him blankly. “I have never heard of that before,” he said flatly. “Are you sure?”
Jonathan nodded. “Very sure.”
Ruben shrugged. “Well, I drugged this one and his helpers. Then I scoured the city for the others. I brought them all back here. There are seven horses out back as well. Then I heard the commotion outside and we took cover, until I heard you scream that is.
“Thanks,” Jonathan said.
“Don’t mention it,” Ruben replied with a smile. “Have you seen Moose and Bull?”
Jonathan’s shoulders slumped and he nodded sullenly. “They were in the arena,” he said.
Ruben blanched and glanced to Ziegler.
Captain Ziegler stood up and limped toward the tent flap. He poked his head out the flap. He grunted and then turned back to face the others. It’s just us now then,” he said.
“We can check the rubble,” Jason offered.
Ziegler shook his head. “We can’t fight off the rest of the city. We need to use the chaos to cover our escape.”
Jonathan stepped forward and approached Ziegler. “If it helps, Moose and Bull died collapsing the arena on the sand elves. Moose pulled out a support column by himself, and then he and Bull collapsed another one. They were very brave.”
“And they slew some very powerful, wicked clan leaders,” Ruben offered.
Ziegler nodded and took in a breath. “Let’s go. We ride for Gwyndoltai.”
“What about Larkyn?” Jonathan asked. “He could still be here.”
Jason shook his head. “No, the elves that took me, I was able to talk to them
about Larkyn. They told me that he passed through earlier and hired some mercenaries, then left for Gwyndoltai.”
“Why would they tell you that?” Jonathan asked.
Jason smiled and pulled out a dagger. “By the time Ruben found me, I had already freed myself. In the process, I interrogated the leader as best I could. Turns out, Larkyn was a regular through here. He was known by most of the elves.”
“Enough talk!” Ziegler snapped. “Get on the horses and let’s move!” The captain cut a hole in the back of the large canvas tent and then mounted the first horse and kicked it into a gallop.
Jonathan and the others hurried to catch up.
They rode furiously, dodging a few disoriented elves who were running amuck in the streets and shouting while they pointed to the collapsed arena building.
The party spurred their horses faster, maintaining a terribly grueling gallop as they left Inghali and then reentered Tanglewood Forest only twenty minutes later. At that point, they had to ride in a single-file caravan, but Ziegler still didn’t ease the pace. Jonathan’s horse grunted with nearly each breath and the hooves pounded the dirt relentlessly as a moist lather built up along the horse’s neck and along the saddle.
If there was one thing that proved correct that had been written in Jonathan’s travel guide about the Pes’Tai, it was that they had the most famous horses in all of Terramyr, renowned for maintaining top speeds for more than a day if necessary. That is what made them such a formidable force on the battlefield and open plains of Scale Valley, which stretched north from Tanglewood Forest’s edge to the seas northward.
After another twenty minutes the horses seemed to hit their stride well and continued onward through the night. Ruben maintained several light orbs overhead, with a few of them a couple dozen yards in front of the group so they could ride easily. After the group had covered sixty miles of forest road, Ziegler slowed the pace to an easier trot.
