“Who are you?” Thomas asked in what he hoped was a pleasant voice.
“Ben,” the boy replied, taking a deep sniff and standing as straight as he could. Thomas felt a swelling of pride at the strength the boy was trying to display, though he had no reason to be feeling it.
“He’s the information gatherer for our little gang,” Miranda said with a smile, though she didn’t pause while making preparations. “Everyone tells little kids stuff when they ask. It’s great.”
Thomas opened his mouth to reply, but couldn’t think of anything.
“Your horse is right back there,” the taller twin said, pushing Thomas out of the way of a barrel. “She’s got a saddle. I suggest you get to riding.”
“Where do I go?” Thomas asked without thinking. This was spinning out of control, and he had had very little control to begin with.
“Away from here,” Miranda said, “go somewhere. Anywhere. Just run.”
“We can’t just run away,” Thomas argued, “no one knows what’s happened! If we run, Ludicra is done for sure!”
“The King is gone and the Dark Priest is in control of the castle,” the shorter twin said as he hefted a bag of grain. “Ludicra is already done.”
“Not yet,” Thomas said, drawing the General’s sword. “I could hurt those things with this. I couldn’t kill them, but I could hurt ‘em. No one else’s weapon could do that. Why do you think that is?”
“Ask the elves,” Miranda said, lifting Ben onto her back. “Story has it the elves designed it and dwarves crafted it. If you want answers, the elves are your best bet.”
Thomas said nothing else, choosing instead to nod. He had to check up on Cynthia anyway, and she was supposed to be in Verdonti.
“Anyone happen to have a map?” Thomas asked as he made his way to the back room.
“Sorry, fresh out,” Miranda said, following him.
There were four horses and a carriage in the back room. Lucille pawed the ground at the sight of Thomas, and he crossed to her with more energy than he really had at the moment. The twins loaded up the carriage with the supplies, and Miranda settles into her horse’s saddle. The gray and white animal didn’t look the least bit perturbed by the proceedings.
Thomas mounted Lucille, letting out a small sigh of relief to be sitting in an actual saddle. His feet found the stirrups, and they all gave each other a single look. Thomas made sure the General’s sword and shield and his gold pouch were all intact, then he clicked his tongue. Immediately, Lucille took off through the stable into the streets.
They ran into an army of Others.
Thomas pulled the reins, directing Lucille into any other direction. Miranda followed him out, followed by the taller twin and then the shorter twin with the carriage attached. The shorter twin was by far the least fleet, and the within moments he would be overrun.
Unless Thomas got there first.
He drew the General’s sword and charged, holding on tightly to Lucille’s reins as the horse ran full speed towards the horde.
His first swing sent a painful shock through his arm, and he almost fell out of the saddle. The Other he had struck went down, a glowing white line remaining in its chest. The smaller twin took the opportunity and took off, taking a few Others with him.
Thomas shouted, “I’ll distract them!” Miranda turned to stare at him as if he was insane, but Thomas didn’t stick around to find out. He couldn’t fight the monsters, not on horseback. And he couldn’t fight them not on horseback. Either way, the only choice he had was to run.
At least this time he didn’t have to use his own legs.
Lucille took off, the wind whistling through her mane. The Others tried to follow, but they were far too slow and fell behind. Thomas pulled at the reins, making sure Lucille kept them close enough to worry about them but not so close they would be caught.
There were screams now, screams that were filled with terror and grief. Thomas turned to face the town, cursing his own stupidity. He had completely forgotten to warn them of the coming darkness, and now… Now….
Now they were paying the price.
The Others attacked, and Thomas watched helplessly as the citizens fell. At first, Thomas thought they were killed, but no, it was much worse. They’d fall, and a few moments later they would stand again, bereft of their humanity.
The Others were going to turn the whole of the Capital. They already had the guards, and Thomas held the only weapon that could slow them down. He didn’t know which was more useless, him or the blade.
Then from the chaos came Chancellor Valerium.
He could see her, even separated as they were by the Others. She stared out at her people and raised her hands, her mouth moving so fast Thomas couldn’t hope to know what she was saying. Soon, she would be overcome by the Others.
Thomas was about to spur Lucille into moving, so that maybe he could at least save one life. But the moment he did, Valerium’s eyes darted over to his, and she waved her hand in a clear message.
“Run.”
Cursing himself and his cowardice, he pulled the reins and lightly spurred Lucille’s side with his heel. The horse immediately started running, though Thomas still didn’t know what direction Verondi was.
It, however, wasn’t his biggest problem.
He heard more whinnies, and he turned back to see who was behind him. To his very great surprise, guards on horses were riding towards him. Thomas’ eyes narrowed as he tried to see under their helmets and hopefully glimpse faces underneath.
But when a tree branch whipped off one of their helmets and the rider didn’t even flinch, Thomas knew his luck was pretty much staying constant.
“Damn,” was all he said before urging Lucille to run faster. They had to lose them.
That didn’t happen.
Lucille was fast, but her rider was inexperienced and didn’t know where he was going. The other horsemen caught up with them, and the Others reached out for Thomas. He didn’t know what they did to turn people, nor did he wish to find out. He drew the General’s sword, and slashed at the nearest Other. The blade connected, sending another sharp stab of pain burning through his arm, but the Other toppled from the horse.
One down, only three or so more to go.
That thought was blown away as he realized Lucille was running straight for a low hanging trunk that formed a bridge between two hills. Lucille was going to fit, but Thomas was not.
The options ran through his hand in a second. He could try and jump the bridge, but that involved standing on the saddle and balancing and jumping properly. It also involved Lucille to keep running without a rider, not something the animal was accustomed to. Or he could slide down the side of the saddle, holding on for dear life.
Or he could simply pull up on the reins, stopping the charging animal short.
The last one was the option he took, and Lucille came to a dead stop. The other horsemen were not so lucky, and they barreled into the bridge without preamble. Three sickening thuds later, and Thomas was alone in the road.
He was just catching his breath when he realized he had made yet another bad assumption. Something jumped from the bridge and tackled him, knocking him from Lucille’s back. He smashed into the ground, feeling a familiar sting run through his shoulder. He was getting really tired of being knocked to the ground.
He looked up, sword drawn, but it wasn’t an Other he faced. This was a human man, dressed in sky blue and wielding a dagger. He was shorter than Thomas by a few inches, but he was better built than the stable boy. Bright red hair seemed to shine in the dark, as did his brown eyes. He brandished the dagger at Thomas, and Thomas had no doubt which one of them was the better swordsman.
“You’re human?” Thomas asked. Startled, the man straightened slightly.
“Yeah,” he replied, “you are too?”
“Yes sir. I ain’t one of those things.”
The stranger looked uncertain, so Thomas sheathed his blade. It wouldn’t do him much good in a f
ight anyway.
“Look friend, my name is Thomas Finn. I’m trying to get to Verdonti to warn them about what’s happening.”
“What is happening?” the stranger asked.
“Honestly… I don’t think you wanna know.”
The stranger was silent, but something about Thomas’ stark tone must have convinced him.
“No, something tells me I don’t.”
“Do you happen to know which way Verdonti is?” Thomas asked. He really needed to get moving, or the Others would beat him there.
“Yeah, but it’s not on any map,” the stranger said. “I’d have to show you.”
Thomas nodded. “Do you have a horse?”
“Um… no sir.”
“That’s okay,” Thomas said, eyeing a helpful prize. “Just pick one of those.”
“Er…”
“What’s wrong?” Thomas asked.
“I don’t know how to ride a horse, sir.”
Thomas chuckled, glad the problem was so minimal. “Ain’t nothing to it, buddy. Just climb in the saddle and grab hold of the reins. Talk friendly to the horse, and there won’t be a problem. By the by, what’s your name?”
“Zacharias, sir.”
“That’s a mouthful,” Thomas laughed. Zacharias joined him.
“Most people just call me Zach, sir.”
“Zack it is, then,” Thomas aid, remounting Lucille. Zach watched his motions and repeating it with a caramel colored horse that was standing by, completely unconcerned.
“So, you can lead me to Verdonti?” Thomas asked.
“Yes sir. It’s not even a day away from here. Though based on the direction you were going, I think you were headed the wrong way.”
Thomas rolled his eyes, turning Lucille around with a click of his tongue. “Of course I was,” was all he replied.
Chapter 8: Verdonti
Zach looked nervous, Thomas noticed. As the night dragged on, Thomas found the scenery starting to lose its luster. Instead, he found he was far more interested in his newfound companion.
“So where ya from, Zach?”
“A little backwater village called Hodunt. Not much there, but there were good people… there… there were…”
Thomas could have kicked himself. He hadn’t even realized the obvious.
“I’m terribly sorry,” Thomas said, “I didn’t even think…”
“Nah, it’s not your fault,” Zach replied, “I don’t think this is something any of us expected.”
His response didn’t mollify Thomas’ mood, and Thomas couldn’t think of anything else to say. He played with Lucille’s reins, trying to control the red he knew was rising in his face. He was grateful for the darkness that hid it.
“Where you from?” Zach asked, breaking the silence.
“The Kimpchik farm,” Thomas answered immediately, a swell of pride erupting in his voice.
“I’ve heard of them. Good family, that. But Gods, that accident...”
“Yeah,” Thomas said in a tone that made it quite clear he didn’t want to talk about it.
“I meant no offense,” Zach said, trying to cover his mistake.
“Nah, none taken,” Thomas replied, “just not something I’m fond of talking about.”
“I understand,” Zach said before his voice practically disappeared. “Does that mean… oh Gods, I’m so sorry…”
Thomas was confused for a moment before figuring out what Zach was talking about.
“Oh! No, it’s not like that. They… they weren’t at the farm when it burned. They should be safe. I hope their safe…”
Silence fell between them again, each one absorbed in their thoughts. Thomas wanted to ask about Zach’s family, but the answer terrified him. As much as he wanted to know, as much as he wanted to hope they had been spared, he couldn’t bear to ask.
“I don’t remember the Kimpchik’s having two sons,” Zach said quietly. It seemed he didn’t want to ask his question either, but he had mounted his courage before Thomas had.
“They don’t. I’m just the farm hand.”
“So… where’re your parents?” Zach asked.
“Lost ‘em,” Thomas replied, “during the first days of the Magi War. I was too young to fight, and my parents wanted nothing to do with it, but somehow the fire found us anyway.”
“I’m sorry,” Zach said, which was quickly becoming a common refrain.
“Oh come on now,” Thomas laughed, “that’s enough sorry to be going around.”
Zach joined him in laughing, “Yeah, I can get behind that idea.”
“So you’re a farm boy too, huh?”
“Yes sir. Worked on my family’s farm since I could swing a scythe. It was a good job, that. Hard work. Funny how all us farm boys sound alike.”
Thomas nodded, thrown by the sudden shift of topic but accepting it. “You read any when you were younger?”
“I read a thing or two in my time. Not a whole lot of time for the practice,” Zach replied, “you?”
“I read everything I could get my hands on. Course, I didn’t know what half of the words meant, but I still enjoyed ‘em. How they sounded, the way they made me feel.”
“Always imagined going off on an adventure?”
“Nah, not me. I was perfectly happy on my farm. But looks like it had to happen anyway.”
Zach laughed and said nothing more, and the pair rode on just a bit fonder of each other.
They rode for hours until Thomas found himself falling asleep at the reins. When Zach yelled after the third time of Thomas almost falling off of Lucille, they both agreed it was time to settle down for the night. They rested by a stream, where Lucille gratefully drank some water. Thomas would have done the same, but he found that staying awake was a burden he just wasn’t able to handle anymore.
He collapsed to the ground and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. But it seemed no sooner had he closed his eyes than Zach was shaking him awake. Thomas looked around, seeing the sun was high in the sky even though it was mostly hidden by gray clouds that threatened rain. Apparently, he had been sleeping for quite a while.
“We need to get moving,” Zach said, “or we won’t make it there by nightfall.”
Thomas nodded, getting to his feet. He felt like one big bruise as every muscle ached in protest at being disturbed. Lucille looked ready to go, which was about the only welcome thing greeting Thomas this morning.
“No time to waste, then,” Thomas replied as he climbed into the saddle. He rubbed his eyes once to make sure they were still working before following Zach away from the stream and back towards the road.
“So how come you know the way to Verdonti, Zach?” Thomas asked.
“We do a little trade up that way,” Zach answered. “Fish, grains, that sort of thing. I don’t think they grow most food on their own.”
“I thought the elves didn’t need to eat,” Thomas mused aloud.
“There are a lot of stories that say that, but most of them aren’t true. Back in the days of the War, the elves would review strategies and wouldn’t eat for days at a time. Eventually, people just started thinking they didn’t eat. But they eat just like we do. We actually have a lot more in common than people think.”
“Really?” Thomas said, sitting up a little in his saddle. He hadn’t heard much talk about the elves from someone who really knew them.
“Oh yeah. They don’t live forever like people think. They live longer than we do, but that’s just because they take better care of themselves. We do backbreaking work, and they just sit around and phi… phil…”
“Yeah, I can’t pronounce it either,” Thomas laughed, “but I know what you mean.”
“They’re actually pretty nice once you get to know them. But you have to get to know them first. Why, the first time I visited them with my pa, they were… none too friendly towards me. But eventually I made a few friends.”
“Have you ever met any dwarves?” Thomas asked, unable to contain his excitement.
“Afraid not,” Zach replied, and Thomas very nearly huffed. “Not many of them leave the mountains. Too busy doing… whatever it is dwarves do.”
“Forging stuff, I think,” Thomas joked.
“Who even knows?” Zach chuckled.
They fell into a comfortable silence as their horses trotted down the path. Thomas stared up at the sky, wondering when the rain was going to start to fall. From the looks of things, it wouldn’t be very long before…
A giant water drop pegged him right between the eyes.
He jumped, slightly upsetting Lucille, but he wiped away the drop with a sigh. Sure enough, the next moment the rain fell hard as if Thomas had summoned it with his worries.
“Come on!” Zach yelled, flicking the reins as Thomas had taught him to. Both horses ran through the rain, but it was falling to thick that Thomas could barely see through it. Soon enough the ground would be nothing but mud, and that would slow their trip down considerably.
“We got to make it across the bridge before it floods! If we don’t make it, we’ll have to wait for the river to die down again, and that could take hours!”
Thomas spurred Lucille on, keeping pace with Zach as he led them through the twists and turns of the forest. The rain somehow got even worse, and Thomas felt the water hit his skin as if his clothes weren’t even on him anymore.
“It’s getting worse!” he shouted.
“I know! I’ve never seen a rainstorm this bad before!”
Thomas looked up, immediately regretting it as the rain got into his eyes. He didn’t know how far away they were, but he hoped it wasn’t too much farther. Already, he could see the stream start to rise, becoming a river. Soon, it would burst its banks and then Thomas and Zach would be stranded.
“There it is!”
The joyous call made Thomas burst into a smile as the bridge they were seeking came into view. The river hadn’t jumped it yet, but that danger was still closing in fast. Understanding their need for haste, Lucille pushed herself even faster to get to the bridge.
The Soul Forge Page 7
