Harmonic Magic Series Boxed Set

by P. E. Padilla

  He watched as Shonyb nudged Skitter with her nose. The hapaki nudged her back and patted her huge head with his tiny claws. Her tongue lashed out, once, twice, three times, and soaked the fur on his head and face, giving him the look of a drowned rat. Sam was surprised to feel humor and affection leaking into his mind from the hapaki.

  After securing to the rakkeben the supplies they would not be taking and hoisting his pack onto his shoulders, Sam stood in front of Shonyb. The big wolf’s intelligent eyes looked at him, unblinking. A soft whine, almost a whimper, made its way to Sam’s ears from her throat. Sam threw his arms around the rakkeban hugging her shaggy head to him. “Thank you so much, Shonyb. I couldn’t have made it this far without you. I hope to see you again soon. Take care of yourself and if you don’t hear from us, make your way back home.”

  He hugged her for a moment more and then released her. With another whine, she licked his face, turned, and headed out into the Dead Zone, the other rakkeben finishing their goodbyes and following her. With nothing left to be said or done, the three humans and the hapaki entered the tangle of the Undead Forest.

  Chapter 50

  Entering the trees was like stepping through a portal to another world. Not only was the diffuse sunlight instantly cut off, but the air itself seemed to press in on them ominously. Sam looked at Rindu and found the expression on his face discomforting. If anything, the Zouy’s face was more neutral than normal, indicating to Sam that he was controlling his expression ruthlessly.

  I don’t like this place either, Skitter sent to him, obviously feeling Sam’s own emotions about the place.

  No one said a word. They just hitched their packs, scanned the area, and moved slowly toward where the fortress would be. After an interminable amount of time, Rindu called a halt to the procession. He was leading them, using his abilities to keep them heading directly toward the fortress.

  “I am moving slowly to prevent us from tripping one of the traps the Gray Man has set. I do not know what form they will take, but because he uses the rohw, I assume he will use vibrational energy. It will mean that it will take us most of the day to traverse the forest, but if we make one mistake and set off a trap, we could all be killed. We have little information from Danaba Kemp, so we must be careful.”

  The others nodded their assent and followed the Zouy. Not more than fifteen minutes later, Rindu stopped them again with a sharp “Stop.” Making sure the others didn’t move, he faced Sam. “Sam, I want you to carefully open your senses. Close your eyes if you must, but open your senses. Do not project your rohw. Can you do that?”

  “Yes.” Closing his eyes, automatically controlling his breath, and turning his mind inward, he allowed his third eye to open and become receptive to the vibrations in the area. As he mentally looked around him, not moving his physical body, he saw the familiar soft glows and vibrational pockets, along with the ley line they were following toward the fortress.

  Looking just ahead of where they were traveling, he saw a bundle of energy pulsing, glowing a little more brightly and then waning, glowing more brightly and then waning again. Tilting his head, he looked at it more carefully. He didn’t know what it was. He had never seen anything like it.

  “What is that?” he asked Rindu.

  “Ah, so you see it. Good. That, Sam, is a trigger. I have only seen one such device before. It is constructed solely of rohw and is designed to constantly derive energy from the surrounding rohw. It simply waits until some vibration, such as those emitted by humans or animals, comes within range. When it does, the trigger ‘pops’ and sets off a trap.”

  “What kind of trap?” Nalia interjected.

  “That is the question, is it not Iba? I have an idea, but we will need to back up. I do not know how big the area of the trap is and do not want us to be inside the area when I set it off.”

  Sam pondered this for a moment. “But, if we set it off, won’t the Gray Man know? Shouldn’t we just try to move around it?”

  “No. And no. I know of no way to detect that a trap has been set off from such a distance, so I do not believe there is a risk of him knowing where we are. As for trying to slip around it, I do not think we should do that either. We do not want it behind us untriggered if we encounter enemies in further in and are forced to retreat. Better to set it off than to have to worry about it later.”

  It was a reasonable decision, so the others agreed. After backing up several hundred yards, Rindu lifted his hand, moved it slightly back and forth, and then clenched his fist quickly as if grabbing something out of the air. Sam saw the telltale glow as his fist closed and there was a whooshing sound followed by several thunks that sounded like arrows hitting a wooden target. Rindu looked intently at the area where the trigger was for a moment and then led them forward to see what had made the sound.

  There, embedded in several large trees surrounding where the trigger was, were dozens of short arrows, closer in appearance to crossbow bolts than arrows. One had been deflected by the main mass of the tree and had gone through the bark on the side of a tree. It was trapped there, with the point exposed from the other side. A dark stain on the tip made it look like the arrow was dipped in some liquid.

  “Poison,” Rindu said. “No doubt deadly. The way this trap worked was very clever. The trigger fed a wall of rohw force holding back the mechanism to launch the missiles. When the trigger was affected by the slight bit of vibration I sent toward it, it popped, removing the wall and allowing the mechanism to shoot. There is one trap escaped. Let us move on.”

  As they continued, Rindu found more triggers, some of them with projectiles, some with swinging branches or arms lined with spikes, and one that built to a chain reaction that emitted a strong rohw pulse that flattened the smaller trees and vegetation for a hundred yards on all sides of it. The force would have been sufficient to kill people close to the trigger.

  “I have never heard of that type of trap before. Ingenious,” the Zouy said of the rohw pulse trap. “I hope there are no more of those. A strong pulse like that probably still isn’t enough to be felt in the fortress, but anyone in the forest who is sensitive to rohw could have felt it.”

  Almost as if in response to what he said, they heard a high pitched screeching and rustling noises coming from deeper in the forest. When a dark shape suddenly hurtled toward Sam from the side, his reflexes swung his staff up just in time to deflect the flying creature from himself, causing it to crash into a bush.

  Immediately, the creature was up and springing out of the bush, taking flight and fleeing back from where it had come, screeching an almost inaudible sound as it went.

  “That looked like a giant bat!” Sam said, scanning the bushes and trees. “Did you see it?”

  The three humans looked around nervously, ready for battle. Three more of the dark forms suddenly flew out of the foliage, all converging on Rindu. Two of them extended sharp claws, but the third opened its mouth and screeched at the Zouy. Sam saw Rindu raise his hands and a glow immediately engulfed him. Waiting until the last minute, the monk dove to the side while striking at the screecher with both hands. The glow Sam saw intensified and then flew toward the screeching beast, causing it to go careening off into the bushes. The other two flew by harmlessly.

  Sam was astonished. These creatures were obviously related to bats, but with some important differences. They were almost man-sized, being most like the size of an adolescent male human. When they landed, they stood on two legs, but he watched the screecher bound out of the bushes and run on all fours toward them.

  Their bodies were covered in fine dark brown fur and their ears and faces looked just like bats Sam had seen, only much bigger. Instead of having small fingers on the end of their wings, though, these creatures had separate arms ending in sharp claws. Their beady black eyes fixed on Rindu and they prepared to attack again.

  “Defend yourself,” shouted Rindu, “I am going to try something.” As he spoke, another five of the beasts came out from amongst the trees,
three running in their odd four-legged gait and two flying.

  The Zouy stood there, appearing to be thinking, trying to figure something out, as the creatures got closer and closer to him. At the last moment, he said something unintelligible and clapped his hands together. Sam saw a burst of light and heard a whine almost too high-pitched for him to hear. All eight of the creatures, looks of pain upon their faces, turned and fled back in to the trees.

  Sam remained motionless, breathing hard, waiting to see what would happen next. He checked on Skitter, finding the hapaki curled up at his feet, scared and still wary, waiting. After a few minutes, Sam took what felt like his first breath all day. Looking at Rindu, he was about to ask what happened, but the monk started speaking first.

  “Fascinating,” he said. “Those creatures are not only sensitive to vibration, but they use vibratory energy as a weapon. That first one attempted to flatten me with concentrated sound. Luckily, I recognized what it was trying to do and protected myself accordingly. They must have survived the Gray Man’s traps because they can sense the triggers and can fly above the forest.”

  “Wait a minute,” Sam said. “You’re telling me that those creatures use sonic weapons? Can such a thing be done? Can sound be used like that?”

  “Yes. That is what I did with them. I projected my rohw, at the precise frequency that would affect them, and it pushed them back. Did you not see it?”

  “I did,” Sam answered, “but I heard it, too. At least, I heard a little bit of it. I had the sense that there was more beyond what I could hear.”

  “Yes, much more. The part you heard, that was just my sloppy technique. I have never used that particular frequency of vibration before, so I used energy in a broad range to make sure it was effective. If I had done it correctly, you would not have been able to hear anything.”

  “You know, Master Rindu, you can be handy to have around.” Sam winked at the Zouy and Rindu smiled back.

  “I do what I can with such gifts as I have been given. Come, let us continue. I do not know if they will accept that we are not food now or if they will gather more forces to try to overwhelm us. I do not desire a battle with these creatures. They are only doing what they must to survive. I would not like to kill them.”

  For the next several hours, the party passed from one trap to the next, Rindu detecting and safely triggering them. Sam was trying to detect them as well, and had seen a few of them shortly after Rindu did. Even Nalia was watching for the traps, using her rohw to look for triggers. She found only one, which made Sam feel proud at first that he had seen more than her, but then feel embarrassed that he was thinking competitive thoughts.

  Tired from the constant searching and the constant tension, they took several breaks to eat snacks, drink, and to refocus. It was after the started out again after one such break that Sam heard Skitter’s mind screaming at him, Stop! Trap! Sam repeated the warning immediately and the others halted.

  Sam, take exactly one step forward so that you are standing next to Rindu, Skitter sent. Sam did so. Now, look down, just above the height of my back when I am lying down.

  Sam knelt carefully and looked. There, less than a foot off the ground, was a tripwire. An actual, physical tripwire. Pointing it out to Rindu, the Zouy nodded his head once and told everyone to move back fifty yards.

  Once they were all back, Rindu put his hand out, fingers splayed. He paused a moment, breathed, and then jerked his hand downward, palm first, as if he was slapping a tabletop. Sam heard the tripwire break and then the entire forest floor twenty feet on either side of where the tripwire was laid folded up like a giant book, crushing everything within it. The smashed foliage hung suspended in the air for a brief moment and then it all came crashing down, pulverized particles raining to the freshly turned soil where the forest floor once was. Trees, bushes, even a small boulder or two, were all crushed to dust from the force of the trap.

  “Now that,” Sam whistled, “is impressive.”

  Rindu didn’t take his eyes off of the fresh soil. “The trip wire must have triggered some sort of rohw powered device I have never seen nor heard of. I saw a flash of intense energy as it snapped shut, but do not know how it was done. How did you see the wire, Sam?”

  “I didn’t. Skitter saw it. He warned me.”

  “Skitter, my friend,” Rindu said, looking at the hapaki, “you just saved all our lives.” Sam knew Skitter could pick up the meaning from Sam’s mind and he added his congratulations and thanks to his friend as well. Skitter just seemed to take it in stride, like it was nothing special. Sam knew otherwise, though. His friend had justified his decision to complete the journey with them, and he was proud of it.

  It was a bedraggled and fatigued foursome that finally made its way to the edge of the forest. They could see across the barren buffer zone to the cliffs and the fortress placed atop them. The bat creatures had not bothered them again, so apparently their encounter had convinced the flyers that there were easier sources of food elsewhere.

  It had taken all day to cross the forest. The sun was just now setting and it would be dark soon. Discussing it amongst themselves, the little party decided to wait until it was fully dark to try crossing to the cliffs. There was no good way to cross without being seen in the daylight. They had decided, too, that it would do them good to get a few hours of sleep before continuing because they were so tired from the forest march. Late night would be a better time to cross, they reasoned.

  Chapter 51

  With a few hours of rest, the party was ready to move on. They stood at the edge of the clearing around the fortress, wondering what surprises the Gray Man had in store for them.

  “Maybe it’s only what it appears to be, a cleared space that makes it easier to see people coming toward the fortress,” Sam said.

  Rindu was thoughtful. “Perhaps. Still, I expect that there is more to the area than it appears.” He stared out toward the cliff walls, as if looking for something.

  “Let us begin. Dr. Walt is a prisoner still and delay will achieve nothing,” Nalia pointed out.

  They began to cross the open area slowly, looking for traps or guards. They got to within a quarter mile of the cliff walls when Rindu stopped them. “Wait. I feel something is not right, but I cannot place it. Give me a moment.” He stared at the ground for several minutes. Shaking his head, he began to say something when his attention locked onto something just off to his left.

  A faint glow appeared where Rindu was looking. Sam could see the ground glow as if someone was shining a light on it. A weak light. All three humans and the hapaki watched the glowing light.

  The pulse of light seemed to be moving, yet it was not something glowing moving along the ground. It was the ground itself that was glowing, but the luminous spot was traveling. At first preoccupied with the light itself, Sam was not seeing the whole picture. Closing his eyes briefly, he widened his range of vision and then saw what was happening. Apparently the first to realize it, he tapped Rindu’s shoulder.

  “Look within the glow, not at it. Tell me if you see what I’m seeing.”

  Rindu looked back toward the glowing ground and Sam could see understanding dawn on the Zouy’s face. There, in the middle of the nascent area was a small animal, a rodent of some kind. As it moved along the ground, the dirt at its feet glowed. When it moved onto another part of the ground, that section would light up.

  Rindu looked relieved. “That is it. It is a trap. It is not to harm, but to warn the defenders. The entire area from here to the walls has been set in motion. The specific vibrations glow visibly when something steps onto the trapped surface. It dampens the vibrations, causing a glow. In this way, guards on the walls can track the movement. I am assuming the bigger the creature stepping into the trap, the brighter the glow. We will set off a glowing alarm if we continue in this way.”

  “How do we diffuse it or bypass it?” Sam asked.

  The Zouy mage thought for a moment, silent. Then, he looked intently at the rodent s
currying across the ground looking for food. A look that Sam recognized came across Rindu’s face, the look of complete calm and intense focus.

  Rindu’s hand came up and Sam looked toward where the hand was pointing, right toward the rodent. As he watched, the glow underneath the animal suddenly winked out. As it skittered to and fro, the light would come back at times, though weaker than it was, but for the most part, the ground didn’t glow under the creature. When Rindu lowered his hand, the glow followed the little animal’s feet again as before.

  “That is it,” Rindu said. “I can manipulate the ground, fool it into thinking there is nothing on it to dampen the vibration. I do this by vibrating the ground just beneath the intruder, keeping its vibration from changing. “

  Nalia stepped forward. “Yes, but you were unable to suppress the glow even for a small animal. How will you do this with the four of us, who are much bigger?”

  “The rodent is moving quickly, making it difficult to vibrate the ground at its feet. We will move slowly. It will be easier.”

  Moving ahead, Rindu last so that he could visually pick out which part of the ground to manipulate, the party went forward. Skitter rode on Sam’s shoulders so that there was one less body to buffer. What seemed like hours later, they arrived within feet of the cliff walls. Rindu sat down, obviously fatigued from his effort.

  “There is a narrow band right at the bottom of the cliffs where the vibratory trap is not present. We are in the area now. Allow me a moment to rest before we move on.”

  “Of course,” Sam said. “While you rest, maybe Nalia and I can figure out how to get up these walls. They are much too steep, with holds that are too small, for us to climb them with our current footwear.”

  Sam and Nalia went together, staying at the base of the cliff walls so that they wouldn’t activate the glow trap. They walked along the wall in one direction for about a mile. Then, they turned around and passed by where Rindu sat, and scanned a mile in the other direction. They found nothing that would help them scale the cliffs.