Brothers Haymaker (Haymaker Adventures Book 2)

by Sam Ferguson

  Deltys nodded. “Ryrden, I will drop you off over here, then I will take the others to the north shore.”

  Jonathan wondered why Deltys was so set on getting Ryrden off the vessel. He agreed that the elf was small, and he was doubtless as ancient as many of the larger trees in the forest, but he seemed fit enough considering he had powered the barge for most of the day without stopping to rest other than the time they drifted past Neez.

  “Deltys, stop trying to get me off the boat. I’ll take you all across, and then I am going to Sierryn with you.”

  Deltys turned away from the wheel and grabbed Ryrden’s shoulders. Jonathan noticed the intense focus in the elf’s eyes. “My friend, please, go ashore here. You cannot come with us to the other side, it is too dangerous.”

  There was something in the mercenary’s voice that unnerved Jonathan.

  “Enough, Deltys,” Ryrden said as he pushed him away. “I can work the wheel and the pedals from here.”

  Deltys sighed and backed away from the wheel. Jonathan watched the mercenary move to the other side of the barge as Ryrden set them toward a landing spot on the north shore. The process was slow going, for Ryrden had to angle the barge slightly upriver to keep from going with the current. It took nearly ten minutes to come within fifty yards of the north shore, and it would likely take another ten to reach the bank.

  That was when Jonathan noticed Deltys grumbling to himself. He wasn’t making any noise, but his mouth was moving and he was shaking his head. Finally, he reached down to fumble with his sword belt. A silver chain with charms on it fell out from Deltys’ sleeve and caught on the sword’s hand guard, popping one of the charms off from the chain. Deltys didn’t seem to notice as he fiddled with his sword and situated it around his hip. The small charm hit the deck and bounced toward the middle of the barge, near Ryrden’s pedals.

  Something compelled Jonathan to stand up and walk toward the charm. He bent down to pick it up and saw upon it a round sigil. Stamped into the metal was the same very symbol he had seen twice before. The first time was in the mushroom hut in the mystical preserve. The second time was in Gadrien’s house, where all the scorch marks had been found. Jonathan looked up to Deltys and saw that the elf was now looking at him with cold, deadly eyes.

  “It was you,” Jonathan shouted.

  Deltys nodded.

  “Him what?” Ryrden said as he continued to work the wheel.

  Deltys lit a fire in his palm and let loose on the steering wheel of the barge. The fire exploded into the wood, splintering it apart and sending embers up into the air as Ryrden yelped and fell backward to land upon the deck.

  The barge lurched forward then, submitting to the current.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Ziegler shouted as he drew his sword.

  “I told you to go ashore!” Deltys shouted at Ryrden. “Why didn’t you listen?”

  Jonathan seized the moment to hold up the charm for the others to see. “Deltys is the assassin who attacked us in Tirnog, and the same one who killed Gadrien.”

  “Gadrien was a fool!” Deltys shouted. “He never understood our cause. His loyalty to Nebenuk was misguided!”

  Ruben stood up, but his sea sickness had left him drained and weary. He fell to his knees.

  Jason rushed in to cut Deltys down, but the assassin threw a fire bolt at Jason. Luckily, the Telarian steel of Jason’s blade was able to deflect the fire.

  Deltys laughed and pointed to the north shore.

  Jonathan looked up to see a line of elven archers taking position.

  “They are here for you,” Deltys squealed with delight. “You were hard to kill, I will give you that, but it ends now.”

  “You have been after us the whole time, haven’t you?” Jonathan said as he stepped closer.

  Deltys pulled another ball of fire into his palm and poised himself to strike. “The master will be pleased with my work.”

  “Deltys! What is the meaning of this?” Ryrden asked as he pushed himself up and rubbed his head. “This isn’t the boy I knew.”

  Deltys then looked to the old elf and his confidence waned.

  “Stop this,” Ryrden pleaded.

  Deltys shook his head. “Too late; the master has already sentenced these humans to death. They must be killed.”

  Ryrden shook his head and stepped closer to Deltys. “Put this away,” Ryrden said. “Look, you can use magic now. Isn’t that what you always wished for? You don’t have to be anyone’s mercenary any longer. Come on, end this foolishness.”

  Deltys turned his eyes to Ryrden and shook his head. “You don’t understand. The master is the one who gave me my magic. He made me what I am.”

  “Why serve a drow?” Ruben asked as he tried to straighten up again.

  Deltys laughed at them. “Larkyn is not the master. Larkyn is a ghost, a campfire story we tell in the night and whisper of in the shadows. The master is not a drow.”

  Ryrden placed a hand on Deltys’ forearm. “We can still fix this. Let me rescue you again, as I did once before.”

  Jonathan then noticed the cloud of arrows rising up from the bank. “Take cover!” he shouted.

  Ruben turned his hands to the sky, but Deltys threw one of his fireballs at him, catching him in the side. Miranda fired upon Deltys, but the assassin created a shield of fire that absorbed her spell and then he turned to attack Jonathan.

  From behind, Jonathan couldn’t see exactly what happened next. Ryrden’s right hand moved so quickly, and then Deltys’ eyes shot wide and the magic faded away into the air. The assassin stumbled back two steps, and only then did Jonathan see the small fish knife protruding from Deltys’ abdomen.

  Deltys looked to Ryrden with pained eyes, but the small elf took no pity upon him. He pointed one hand toward Deltys and shouted a single word. A blast of air shot out from Ryrden’s hand and Deltys flew out from the barge and splashed into the water.

  “You are not the boy I found those many years ago,” the short elf said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. Ryrden then turned his left hand to the air and shouted again. A great gust of wind swept away the incoming arrows, saving all in the barge.

  “We need to make for the other shore,” Ziegler called out.

  “We’ll never make it now,” Ryrden said. “The current has us, and even if I had my wheel back, I wouldn’t be able to pedal fast enough to go against the current here.”

  Miranda stepped to the side of the boat and her amulet glowed bright as she sent focused spells toward the archers. She was able to take down a few, but there were scores of them still lining up along the shore and taking aim.

  “I can’t take them all,” Miranda said.

  Jonathan went for his bow, but even he knew it was a lost cause. There were far too many enemies.

  “Do you have a plan?” Ziegler called out.

  Ryrden nodded. “Come and stand here,” he said as he hopped up onto his seat and placed his feet on the pedals. “I need something to hold onto. You two boys try and keep us pointed forward. There are a pair of long oars in the compartment there.”

  Jonathan looked to where the elf was pointing and saw a metal ring sticking out from one of the boards in the deck. He pulled on it to find a pair of oars. He handed one to Jason and took the other.

  Ryrden shouted again and a thunderous gust swept away another volley of arrows. Ruben sat up then, crying out from the pain in his side.

  “I can help with the arrows,” he said.

  Ryrden nodded and grabbed onto Ziegler’s belt as he put his head down and began pedaling.

  Jonathan and Jason did their best to point the bow of the barge downstream while Miranda and Ruben fired off spells to attack the enemy and try to intercept the arrows.

  “What is the plan?” Ziegler asked. It was the first time Jonathan had ever heard fear in the man’s voice.

  “We’re going with the current,” Ryrden announced.

  Everyone stopped and looked at the crazy elf.

  “Don’
t look at me, focus on your jobs!” Ryrden shouted. “You two steer the barge, you two keep those arrows off of us!”

  The current picked up and the thunderous roar of the waterfall came ever nearer as Ryrden pedaled with all of his strength. Soon they were zipping along faster than they had ever been going before. The water rolled and churned under them, sending the barge up and down to crash in the rough waters.

  “They stopped!” Miranda said about the archers on the shore.

  “Because they know we’re about to die!” Ruben shouted.

  The only sound loud enough to be heard over the din of the roaring water was that of Ryrden’s laughter as the barge shot out over the edge and flew through the air for several yards.

  “Where are the eagles to race now? Ha ha!” Ryrden yelled as they sailed out into the open air with nothing but the mist and spray of the waterfall around them.

  Jonathan sucked in a breath and his heart stopped as he looked out over the expanse of lush, green forest below. Then his stomach rose up within him and he felt a tingling sensation just before his feet lifted from the barge and he floated into the air. He looked around, terrified as the air rushed in around them and the others also floated up from the barge.

  The vessel angled to point downward and then dropped faster than the rest of the party, who were all now flailing about and screaming wildly. The barge continued to flip end over end as it fell below them.

  The white and brown water behind Jonathan seemed to be suspended in the air with him. Bits of liquid morphed and split into droplets before rejoining again and twisting in front of him. It was almost peaceful, if not for the sound of rushing air around him and the pool below racing up to meet him. He looked down into the dark pool and thought of his home. He said a silent prayer for his grandparents, and then he closed his eyes and gave in to his fate.

  Jonathan passed out moments before impact, causing his body to relax as his feet broke through the surface and he drifted into the depths below. The waterfall churned the pool into a muddy brown where it crashed down. The heavy force of the water was enough to pull Jonathan’s limp body toward it, forcing him down toward the bottom of the pool and refusing to let him float upward. Then, a great turtle swam to him and grabbed his belt in its mouth as it effortlessly swam away from the churning waters.

  The turtle took the boy to the surface, and then turned his face upward toward the air as it continued to push him through the pool.

  Jonathan woke just as his body was pushed onto a beach of pebbles and sand. When he opened his eyes, he saw the massive beak of the turtle and screamed, scrambling to get away.

  He heard Jason laughing and looked around to see many large turtles along the beach and in the water. Jason and the others were already ashore and watching Jonathan.

  “It’s a turtle,” Ryrden said. “It won’t hurt you, boy.”

  Jonathan turned back to the turtle that had been looming over him and he waved at it.

  The turtle mad a clicking noise and then shuffled its way back to the water.

  “Well then, now that we are all accounted for, let’s take a ride with my friends here,” Ryrden said as he patted a green and brown turtle that was affectionately nuzzling his leg with its head.

  “Your friends?” Ziegler asked.

  Ryrden balked, as though shocked anyone should ask such a question. “Well they certainly aren’t your friends,” he fired back. “I told you I had a plan.”

  “And when were you going to tell us that you would have giant turtles waiting for us at the bottom of the waterfall?” Ziegler pressed.

  Ryrden laughed and shook his head. “No, no, if I had told you something like that, you would have thought I was crazy!”

  Ziegler shook his head and bent down to retrieve his sword from the ground where another turtle had dropped it.

  “Come on, quickly now, we need to get back into the water before the elves from above spot us cavorting on the beach.”

  Ziegler scoffed, but he didn’t say anything to the contrary. The group made their way back into the water and Jonathan watched as the others each held onto one of the turtles and let the creature pull them through the waters. They all did their best to remain low to the surface as the turtles carried them into the northernmost of the three rivers branching out from the pool.

  Jonathan occasionally glanced up the cliff wall to the top of the waterfall, but he never saw any sign of the enemy. Soon they were back inside dense tree cover where the branches extended out over the river and obscured the view from above. From that point on, the party was able to sit atop the turtles and ride them down through the river without soaking their entire bodies.

  The turtles swam for about two hours before coming to a gently sloping beach and letting the party off to make camp.

  Ruben and Miranda were quick to set about gathering wood, but Ziegler forbade a fire, saying the light of a fire would be seen from far off, and they were too close to take such chances now. Ryrden disappeared into the forest and came back with an arm load of fruit and dirty roots to use for food. Then he went to Ruben and inspected the wizard’s wound.

  “Did you cast a ward?” Ryrden asked. “The wound is not deep.”

  “No, I wasn’t even looking at Deltys,” Ruben admitted.

  “I tried to negate the fire spell,” Miranda said. “But I wasn’t fast enough.”

  Ryrden whistled through his teeth. “Well, you managed to save his life. That spell should have burned a hole right through him, so you can take pride in the fact that you did, in fact, stop it. Just some superficial burns here, and only a few spots where it burned through the top layer of skin. I can create a poultice that should prevent infection.”

  “Shouldn’t you have done that before our long swim with the turtles?” Jason asked.

  Ryrden shook his head. “The water here is clean. Part of it is connected with Heart Spring, which has healing properties. Besides that, it likely did good to soak him in the cool water. Burns can continue to damage tissue long after the flame has been removed because the heat can remain within the skin and continue to cook a person’s body.”

  Ryrden then turned to Ruben. “Does it hurt?”

  Ruben nodded.

  “A lot, or a little?”

  Ruben glanced to Miranda and then answered, “I can manage.”

  Ryrden turned to Miranda and winked at her. “Be a dear and turn the other way, would you?” Miranda nodded and complied, then Ryrden turned back to Ruben. “Now, you don’t have to try to impress the young lady. Just nod yes or shake your head for no. Does it hurt a lot?”

  Ruben nodded his head.

  Ryrden smiled. “Good, then that means it isn’t so deep. If it didn’t hurt a lot, then I would be worried that it had managed to burn away your nerves.” Ryrden pointed to the food he had set down. “Everyone eat. The fruit is sweet and good for a quick burst of energy. The roots are good to help you feel full, and they can alleviate sore muscles and joints as well. The turtles will carry us into Sierryn tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER 14

  If not for the roots Ryrden brought them, which also acted as powerful sleeping aids, Jonathan would likely not have caught a single minute of rest that night. Thanks to the short elf’s scheming however, Jonathan and the rest of the party was fully rested and ready to move again once the sun rose.

  Riding upon the turtles once more, they traversed the final hundred miles of river in a little more than four hours, reaching the giant mountain just before midday. The great, jagged spire of black rock stabbed at the clouds in the sky as if attempting to conquer the heavens themselves. A series of caves permeated the lower level of the mountain, and the trees had been cleared away all around the base.

  As Jonathan looked at the ominous growth of rock, he realized that the river flowed into the mountain as well. He followed Ryrden’s lead in slipping off the turtle’s back and hanging on with only one arm as they neared the mountain.

  Then, just before reaching the rocks, the turtles
dove under the surface, dragging the party along with them. Jonathan strained his eyes to see in the darkness. He could just make out the sharp rocks jutting out from above and the ridges and spikes below. Had it not been for the turtles, it would have been nearly impossible to navigate the treacherous waterway. Fortunately, the turtles were adept at maneuvering around them and the entire party was taken through the underground waterway safely, arriving in a cave pool just a minute later.

  Ryrden and Ziegler swam to the side of the pool slowly, trying not to make much noise. Jonathan and the others followed. Once they were all out of the water, the turtles dove back under and disappeared once more.

  Jonathan looked around and saw buildings made of stone near the walls. Torches, sconces, and braziers were lit throughout the large chamber they were in, illuminating the cave.

  Ziegler motioned for everyone to follow him. They each kept a low profile as they made their way around a large boulder the size of a house and then crept into a tunnel nearby.

  They followed it downward into the bowels of the mountain. The air grew warm and moist, with a musky odor hanging upon it. The torches grew fewer and farther between the deeper they went, but they didn’t stop. They continued down, winding their way until the tunnel opened into a large chamber that dwarfed the caves in the Murkle Quags that the trolls had called home.

  A vast city of three and four-story buildings rose from the floor of the chamber. There were towers and wells too. Yet, unlike the troll caves, this cavern was illuminated with an ethereal glow. Bioluminescent plants as well as rocks that gave off light all mixed together to create something that was very similar to the daylight experienced above ground. This allowed Jonathan to survey his surroundings easily.

  That’s how he spotted a pocket of trolls that came around the corner of one building and entered into another some hundred yards to the right. Jonathan crept up to Ziegler.