Karl remain silent for several minutes as he digested the Ranger's words. "Perhaps the old man can sense more than just the direction we are heading," he mused out loud. "I think I will have a talk with him."
Karl stepped out of the column and rejoined it as Fakir walked by. The old man did not look well, but he did not appear as frail as he had moments ago. Fakir glanced at Karl and nodded as if he knew why the Knight of Alcea was walking alongside him.
"I am sorry for my harsh words to Clint," Fakir said softly. "I am afraid that I am feeling a bit under the weather."
"It shows," Karl smiled sympathetically. "Would you like a break in the march to take a short rest?"
"No," Fakir said quickly. He calmed himself and continued, "That will not be necessary. I would not want to be the one to hold up the whole column. We will stop for the night soon enough."
The men walked side-by-side for several minutes until Karl spoke again. "What do you sense out there?"
Fakir turned his head and looked questioningly at Karl.
"It is obvious from your requests to change direction that you are trying to avoid something," Karl continued. "What is it that you sense?"
"Danger," Fakir said softly. "Don't ask me for a better explanation. I can sense danger at times, and I have found that it is usually best to avoid it. Is it that much effort to alter the course a bit?"
"Not at all," replied Karl, "but those requests would have been better received if you had been open as to why they were necessary."
"I can not explain my feelings to you,” retorted Fakir. “If you wish to think me crazy, that is your perogative.”
"Most of the men in this column have felt unseen dangers in the past," Karl responded. "I don't think any of us would call you crazy for expressing such a feeling. I usually get a strange feeling when someone is watching me. In fact, I have had that feeling ever since entering the Forest of Death."
"That is because we are being watched," replied Fakir. "This forest has eyes."
"I thought you said that you had not seen the eyes," frowned Karl.
"I haven't seen them," the tutor responded, "but I have felt them just as you have. They are not the eyes of humans."
"Then what are they?" asked Karl.
"What is the one thing that you have seen since you entered the forest?" asked the philosopher.
Karl frowned as he thought back to the first day in the forest. "Nothing," he replied. "Most days we do not even see any animals at all. The only things we have seen everyday are trees."
"Then you have you answer," smiled Fakir.
"The trees have eyes?" balked the Knight of Alcea.
Fakir shrugged and remained silent. While Karl thought that trees with eyes was ridiculous, he couldn't help remembering the night that the roots had tried to entrap Lyron, or the way it howled when it was attacked by hatchets. He mulled the old man's words over in his head for some time before speaking again.
"You said that you can sense danger," Karl said, "yet you must not feel danger from the trees or you would be trying to avoid them."
"Danger is relative," replied Fakir. "One can die merely by trying to cross the street, but one should not feel any great sense of danger from every street because of that. In any event, it is impossible to avoid the trees in a forest."
"What else can you sense?" asked Karl. "I know that you didn't just happen into our campground the first time we met. You knew that we were there."
"You had a fire blazing," replied Fakir.
"We did," agreed Karl, "but you are not answering my question. Your arrival in our campground was no accident."
"I can sense a great deal of what is around me," replied Fakir. "I suspect that you can as well, but you probably don't pay enough attention to developing your skills."
"I have good hearing and a fine sense of smell," replied Karl, "but I think you are talking about something more than that."
"I am," smiled Fakir. "We will discuss it more this evening. If I remember one of your earlier admonitions, you like to keep silent on the trail."
Karl nodded silently and returned to his position in the column. Two hours later, Clint called a halt for the night in a wide clearing. The Alceans quickly set up the camp, and Fakir broke out some provisions for the evening meal. After the meal the men spread out to relax after the hard day's hike. Karl sat alone on the remains of a fallen tree. He was staring out into the woods examining the trees and looking for where their eyes might be. Fakir came up to him and sat next to the Knight of Alcea.
"Close your eyes," the old man said.
Fakir's words were a request, not a command, but Karl complied without question.
“Listen carefully to the sounds of my voice and nothing more," the Historian said softly. "Do not let any sounds distract you."
Karl nodded his agreement.
"Where is Max?" the old man asked.
"The last I saw him, he was sitting near the fire," replied Karl.
"Where is he now?" pressed Fakir. "Don't try to listen for him, and don't try to smell him. Try to sense his location."
Karl frowned in confusion. He heard sounds from several directions, but there was no way to know who was making the sounds.
"Close your ears," instructed Fakir. "Listen only to my voice."
"I am not sure what you are asking me to do," Karl sighed with frustration. "How am I supposed to sense where he is?"
"Think of Max and only Max," said Fakir. "Nothing in the world exists right now except my voice and Max Caber. Form a picture of the campsite in your mind, and tell me where Max is right now."
Karl concentrated on a mental image of the campsite. He pictured the group entering the clearing and then an image of everyone sitting around the fire eating. He tried to focus solely on Max and push the others out of his image, but when he did so, everyone disappeared, and he ended up with an empty clearing.
"Where is Max?" pressed Fakir. "Where is he?"
Suddenly, the Knight of Alcea saw Max in the image. "He is behind me and to my left."
"How far away is he?" asked Fakir.
"About ten paces back and twenty paces to my left."
"Excellent," grinned Fakir. "What about the sailor named Ecaro?"
Karl's brow furrowed as he tried to construct another image of the campsite. He mentally banished the others from the image and saw the sailor sitting alone.
"Directly behind me by fifteen paces."
"You can open your eyes now," said Fakir.
Karl opened his eyes and turned around. The sailor was sitting right where he had pictured him, but the other three sailors were sitting alongside him.
"How did I do that?" Karl asked in amazement. "Am I a mage?"
"Hardly," chuckled Fakir. "It is not magic. It is a gift that you possess. Did you think that your success at hunting came only from a good eye and skill with your bow? Think back. How many times have you stalked an animal and known right where it was even though you could not see it?"
Karl's mind drifted back to his hunting days in Cordonia and nodded his head at the truth in the old man's words. He had always had an exceptional knack for guessing where the animals were hiding. For several minutes he marveled at the wonder of his newfound skill, but eventually his brow creased with suspicion.
"How did you know of this gift?" he asked Fakir. "How did you even know that I was a hunter?"
"You walk like a hunter," Fakir smiled thinly, "much like the elves walk. The other armed men walk like warriors. I cannot explain the difference, but it is obvious to my eyes."
"That does not explain how you knew that I had this gift," Karl pointed out.
"That too was obvious to my eyes," replied Fakir. "You use the gift often without even knowing it, but you need to develop it better. Like any skill, practice is needed to perfect it."
"Obvious to your eyes?" questioned Karl. "Do you have this gift as well?"
"I do," confirmed Fakir. "It is part of how I sense danger around us. It is hard for
me to explain, but I think you have a better idea of what I am talking about now."
"I do," agreed the Knight of Alcea. "Thank you for showing me my gift. I will practice it often."
"Speaking of practice," Fakir replied, "don't you think it would be wise to teach the seamen some of the skills your warriors have? It seems to me that one day they might be called upon to defend themselves or others."
Karl turned and glanced at the sailors. He had never considered training them with bow or sword, but the tutor's words made sense. He rose and called for the camp's attention. He offered the suggestion of training the sailors and was surprised by the reaction it received. The elves and Rangers merely nodded in agreement, but the sailors appeared to be quite eager to get lessons. Prince Rigal suggested starting them off with archery lessons, and the next two hours were devoted to it with everyone getting involved to offer suggestions and techniques. Eventually, Karl had to call a halt to the lessons so that everyone got a decent night's sleep. Clint and Shawn took the first watch, and Fakir winked at Karl as the Knight of Alcea settled down to sleep.
It was about an hour before dawn when Fakir woke unexpectedly. He sat up and gazed into the dark forest for a while before silently rising to his feet. He smiled as Karl turned his head and looked directly at him. He quietly walked across the clearing to where Karl and Max were keeping watch.
"You are up a bit early," Karl said softly.
"I am," Fakir replied as the smile fell from his face. "You need to get everyone up immediately, but do it quietly. We are going to have company soon, and I doubt they will be friendly."
Karl didn't even think of questioning the old man. He tapped Max and nodded in one direction while he moved out in the other direction. Fakir moved swiftly to the fire and doused it. Within a minute the warriors were on their feet with bows in their hands. Karl instructed the sailors to gather in the very center of the clearing while the warriors formed a defensive ring around them. Fakir pulled his tethering post out of the ground and led the mule into the circle and replanted it in the ground. For a long time the campsite remained frozen as everyone waited for something to happen.
"I see something moving," Prince Rigal said in a whisper. "It is large."
"There is something in my sector, too," added Lyron from the other side of the circle. "It might be a large bear."
Soon everyone saw shifting shadows in the darkness. The large shapes appeared to be flowing around the campsite.
"Ogres," hissed Gerant. "They are surrounding us."
"You must not let any of them escape," warned Fakir.
"Escape?" Warren croaked with disbelief. "How about if we escape?"
"If any of us drops our bows and quivers," Karl instructed the seamen, "you should pick them up and use them, but be careful in using them. Do not hit one of us."
Chanz and Cirris nodded their understanding, but Karl could not see them. He had his eyes locked on an ogre, and he was pulling back his bowstring.
"They are getting ready to charge," warned Prince Rigal. "They will all come at once."
"Rangers," Karl said softly, but firmly, "if you need to use your swords, leave the bows for the sailors. The elves will continue to target the farther ones."
The ogres started grunting and growling as they realized that they had not surprised the intruders. One of them shouted loudly, and they all charged the center of the clearing. There was a distance of fifty paces separating the warriors and the ring of trees surrounding the clearing, and the Alceans started firing as soon as the ogres left the cover of the trees. The air cracked with a continual song of snapping bowstrings as the Alceans fired at the charging ogres. Karl managed to get off four good shots before tossing his bow behind him. He pulled his two-handed sword and felt someone cut his quiver strap as he stepped forward to meet the charge.
The ogres were slowed somewhat by the ogre bodies before them. Karl sensed the Rangers also moving forward. He stopped his own progress halfway to the tree line to allow the elves to continue firing while he halted the advance of the ogres so none of them reached the elves. Karl had never fought ogres before, and he soon discovered that a slash to their bellies was not sufficient to halt their charge. The first group of ogres forced him to retreat, but he was quick to adapt. Aiming to slice through their legs or decapitate them, he worked his way back to the halfway mark. He heard shouting behind him, but the snarls of the ogres were too loud in his ears to make out what was being shouted by his comrades
The ground around Karl became littered with ogre bodies, and the Knight of Alcea sensed that the ogres were trying to flow around him. He glanced around and was astonished to see the sailors running around with hatchets. He blinked as he saw Chanz chop the head off an ogre, and suddenly the shouting he had heard before made sense. The ogres behind him were coming back to life. Seeing that the Rangers were holding their own, Karl started decapitating the corpses around him.
"Some are fleeing," shouted Cirris.
"Do not let them escape," added Fakir. "Go after them."
Karl turned and saw three ogres running away. He raced after them, and Max appeared at his side. The Ranger was a broad man, and he suffered a fair number of jokes about his size, but he matched Karl's pace, and they soon over took one of the ogres. Karl slashed at the back of the ogre's legs, and Max sliced through its neck as it fell. The two Alceans raced after the other two ogres, and the creatures suddenly split up. Without a word the Alceans also split up, each of them pursuing one of the ogres.
Karl started panting heavily, and he worried that the ogre might outlast him, but he worried in vain. The ogre unexpectedly stumbled, and Karl actually had to leap over the creature's body to avoid falling himself. He slid to a halt and swiftly turned around. He reached the ogre just as the creature was getting back on its feet. His first swing was low and it sliced through one of the ogre's legs. The large creature tumbled to the ground, and Karl swung his sword through the ogre's neck. For several minutes, Karl stood over the ogre trying to get his breath back. When he was breathing heavily but in a controlled fashion, he turned and walked back towards the clearing.
After a few minutes of walking, he heard a noise. He stopped immediately and listened, but he heard nothing further. He slowly pivoted, his eyes scanning the dark woods, but he could see nothing in any direction. He was ready to start walking again when he suddenly decided to close his eyes and think about the woods around him. Slowly a smile ran across his lips.
"Max?" he called out.
"Karl?" came the reply. "Is that you?"
Karl opened his eyes and turned towards the sound of the Ranger's voice. "Come to me, Max."
The Ranger suddenly appeared out of the darkness.
"You must have heard me, too," chuckled Max. "I guess we were both standing silent and waiting for the other to make a noise. How did you know it was me?"
"Just a hunch," grinned Karl. "Let's get back to the camp."
The two Alceans walked back to the clearing. Karl saw that the camp had been broken and the others were ready to head out. He looked curiously at Clint.
"Fakir seems to think that it would be foolish to remain here," explained Clint. "He might be right. We can't know for sure that none of the ogres got away."
"I doubt that any of us would be able to get back to sleep in any event," nodded Karl. "Have Fakir point you north, and let's get out of here."
While Clint conferred with the old man, Karl gazed with admiration at the seamen. He walked over to where they were standing and smiled broadly.
"You men did good with those hatchets," he said. "We will make warriors out of you yet."
"Just wait until we find a ship," retorted Chanz. "We are going to teach you how to climb the mast and repair the rigging."
"Fair enough," chuckled the Knight of Alcea.
* * *
The sun was a huge fiery ball as it rose over the sea. Runt sat on the very top of the main mast and gazed out at the eastern horizon with eagerness. He had a pla
n in mind and this morning would be the time to put it into action. He had managed to sneak into the captain's cabin and gaze at the sailing chart. If his calculations were correct, he should be able to see a distant island this morning. If he did, he was going to abandon the ship and fly to it. According to the charts, there was a string of islands stretching all the way to the Isles of the Sea off the coast of Alcea. Runt thought he would be able to fly from one island to the next to reach home long before the Zaran ship got there.
That was in theory of course. His backup plan was to reboard the ship if any two of the islands were too far apart, but the crux of the problem was how to tell if the islands were too far apart without trying to reach one and failing to do so. Runt had no answer to that dilemma, but he was not willing to let a simple problem deter his plan. As the sun rose into the sky, the tiny green man saw a bump on the horizon. He leaped into the air and soared upward. When he was high above the Zaran ship, he gazed down to see if anyone had noticed his departure. Confident that he had escaped without detection, Runt aimed for the distant speck of land.
Chapter 17
Horse Countries
The sky grew dark over the Forest of Death, and Clint McFarren sighed with frustration. His eyes scanned the ever-darkening woods, but he could not find a clearing large enough to serve as a secure campsite for the group of Alceans. He pushed on for another half an hour and finally called a halt. As he stood surveying the area around him, Karl Gree appeared at his side.
"This doesn't look promising," Karl commented.
"It isn't promising at all," replied Clint, "but I haven't found anything suitable for the last two hours. If we continue onward, we will be marching through this forest in total darkness."
"Perhaps that is not as bad an idea as it sounds," interjected Fakir Aziz.
Karl turned and stared at the old philosopher. His brow creased as he tried to read the unspoken words in the eyes of the old man, but he could detect nothing, no fear, no alarm, and no humor. The old man's face was expressionless.
"Are you suggesting that we keep going?" Karl eventually asked.
Council of War Page 21
