Smart Alec in the Dark Lands

by Donald Wigboldy

  Shaelamee had backed into him during the fight protecting his rear and flank as the boy tried to do for her. Alec wasn't as confident in his skills as the older girl was and certainly not the way Helios appeared to be. They cast their spells both confidently and quickly. He almost thought that they could be battle mages the way they used their spells, but they didn't move like the warrior mages. Battle mages were swordsmen with magic spells... or maybe wizards that were also trained to combat. Depending on whom one might ask; the answer might be different. Both conclusions might sound similar, but it was the wizards that saw mages as inferior casters.

  A new wave of thinking had come through the school recently and he had seen the newest cadets looking proud of what they could do. They trained separately from novice wizards like him, but he had worked with them initially. He had seen the quick, one words spells in use and had to admit that he saw definite benefits to what they could do even if others might not.

  "Are you alright, Alec?" the girl asked as she stepped away from him only a couple steps. They had fought together well. He hadn't even noticed that her weapons were her clothing and that Shae had chosen no protection for her skin to use her magic in such a way.

  Well, he hadn't noticed in the heat of battle, but the heat returned to his cheeks as he turned to see her now.

  Shaelamee sighed and shook her head slightly. "I don't see why you wish to be hampered by this stuff," she stated before her magic drew the two pieces of cloth back to cover her. The pieces appeared to tie themselves thanks to her magic. "Enemies can use it against you. This one tried to pull me down with my own top," the girl complained as she lightly kicked the still frozen carcass lying on the ground.

  "It's still better protection than not having it," Alec answered in counterpoint.

  The girl's finger pointed at his ripped sleeve and retorted, "It doesn't look like it did that much."

  Her cool hands lifted the cloth to double check his arm. Two scratches could be seen and Shae pulled him towards her supplies. "We'd better clean those cuts. Hollows carry diseases sometimes. Their claws are dirty and it isn't like they worry over having clean bodies since they're dead anyway."

  Alec pointed at a set of scratches on her back. "They got you too."

  He was almost positive that her light blue skin darkened in her cheeks as she replied, "Well, then I guess you will have to make sure that mine are clean after I take care of you."

  Was Shaelamee actually capable of being embarrassed or was it something else, he wondered?

  "They've retreated," Helios stated returning to the pair. The fence panels had been recharged with his spells, but Alec thought that the silver dragaoin also looked tired. He hadn't gotten a full night's sleep and likely had used a lot of energy fighting the hollows besides. Adding magic to the fence probably didn't help matters either, the novice assumed.

  "Are you injured, Helios?" Shaelamee asked curiously. The girl was already wrapping a bandage around Alec's forearm. She had cleaned the wounds with some water and a salve from her pack. After checking for other wounds on the boy, Shae handed the medical supplies to Alec and turned her back to him as she remained kneeling on the ground.

  Her top untied at the bottom slipping away to reveal the marks on her back. Nervously he swallowed before trying to remain businesslike in his treating of her wounds.

  "I am fine. My skin isn't soft like the two of you. What damage I might have suffered was avoided by my spells anyway," the silver man replied gruffly.

  Shaelamee smirked at the larger, silver dragaoin and said, "Ah, yes, you sorcerers and your skills; or should I compliment that durable dragon hide covering you?"

  Grunting without humor at her jest, Helios replied, "I didn't ask for any compliments. I just stated the truth."

  Alec ignored the others' banter and asked, "So should we continue to rest here? They might come back."

  Helios looked past the boy before suddenly hurrying forward. The other two turned to look in the direction he was headed and suddenly realized that one of their mounts was laying on the ground. It was the green one, Alec noted. His blue salamander and Helios' reddish brown mount appeared to be sniffing at the other. They were agitated and, while he barely knew the personalities of the creatures, Alec was pretty certain that they appeared worried over their comrade.

  Patting his hands, Shaelamee stopped the boy as she stood to hurry over to her large lizard. "Is she injured, Helios?"

  Alec hadn't even known that the salamander was a girl. He didn't know the sex of any of the animals and hadn't bothered to ask. Wondering if the other two were males that were concerned over a potential female mate, the novice followed Shae and noticed that her top remained loose in front of her. The scratches were obvious and darker blue as was the genasi's blood.

  Searching the large salamander for only a moment, Helios leaned back with a sigh. "She is dying." He pointed out what at first looked like a simple cut, but Alec realized that it only looked minor from his vantage point from its side. The wound extended from just above the left shoulder beneath the throat continuing on an angle that passed through the throat to a point well above on the other side. It was nearly two feet from one end to the other. Small gaps in the flesh had kept the creature from spilling out as quickly as a complete line would have allowed, but there was a lot of blood on the ground beneath the salamander. Even for a large beast like this, it was a lot of lost blood.

  The intense blue eyes of the dragaoin looked at Alec and he asked, "You wouldn't happen to know any healing spells, would you?"

  Shaking his head slowly and feeling sad for the creature dying in front of them, Alec could only say, "I don't. I'm sorry."

  As Helios tried to staunch the wound, sewing it up as best he could, even Alec could tell that it was going to be too little and too late. The salamander's body began to shake uncontrollably. Cold from loss of blood, he guessed, was taking its toll. The shaking stopped rather quickly and its breathing became ragged.

  He was surprised when Shaelamee turned back into him burying her head against his chest. Feeling her shake with emotion as the girl cried, Alec felt some surprise through the numbness taking over him as he watched the beast slowly giving in to its wounds. The large gash was the worst, but there were other marks on its hide as well. Blood was everywhere.

  Looking at the other mounts, the boy noticed smaller wounds on the others as well. "Helios, the other mounts are injured also. You might want to take a look at them pretty quickly." He paused and stated the obvious to the dragaoin still desperately trying to save the green salamander, "You can't save her, Helios. The others can use the help and it will be of more use on them."

  His voice had been quiet. The bleakness of the moment had seemed to make the world around them quiet, so the boy had been restricted as well. Feeling Shaelamee clench his shirt with both fists, Alec feared that his words might make her angry at him; but the boy was being pragmatic. It had been something in his personality to weigh the costs and benefits to actions. Blurting his opinions out for others to hear was done less often. He understood others emotions even when the young wizard might wish to steer them in a different direction. Being gentle was important sometimes, but they were in dire need to save the mounts that could be saved. It meant being blunt was necessary this time.

  "They won't let me, if I try," Helios said almost as quietly to the boy. "I must at least try to make her last minutes as comfortable as I can. The other salamanders need me to be the leader and try to at least look like I can save her."

  "They are injured too."

  The silver head nodded. "Salamanders that live together for a time become bonded. They'll fight even if wounded to save their companions. Their owners or riders must show similar actions or risk losing their cooperation.

  "It might seem a waste to you or even risky, but it must be this way. She will be gone soon enough anyway. Then they will let me take care of their wounds."

  Several more minutes passed. The sounds of the beast's l
abored breaths became the only real noise on the air. Even the low hum of the magic fence panels seemed to fall away leaving only the salamander's dying breaths.

  A last shuddering breath was exhaled and then there were no more. Helios stood up after a moment. The dragaoin placed his hand on the green salamander's shoulder. Though he said something, the words were uttered too quietly for Alec to hear.

  Moving to the reddish brown mount, Helios began taking care of its wounds. The beast stood stoically while the blue one moved away slightly from the fallen green. It began a strange call. If he were to hear it in Southwall, Alec would have thought that it was reminiscent of a wolf's howl when it called to the moon.

  The blue salamander lifted its head to the sky releasing its howl of sadness. A second call coming from the reddish brown, even while Helios tended its wounds, was added to the other.

  Shaelamee pushed back as the howls faded. The beasts continued to make sad sounds, but the cry was over.

  "Their funeral song is done. Their family has cried for the fallen," the girl said with words that almost sounded like this was a common saying or perhaps something used at a funeral. She sniffed fighting a runny nose. Her eyes seemed to leak tears that didn't blend into the moisture the genasi tended to have on her skin.

  Her hands took his arm and pulled him after her to where the medical salve and bandages still remained. She knelt again and the novice did his best to dress the scratches. They were in a place that would be hard to bandage. The salve might be enough and her top could act as a bandage, he supposed.

  Placing a folded up bandage over the scratches after a moment's thought, the young wizard took a long strip of gauze tying it gently to keep the bandage in place.

  "That's about the best I can do," Alec said with a sigh.

  She nodded and turned to face him. Her hand rested against his cheek. There were heavy emotions in her eyes. Her face was sad.

  Without a word, Shaelamee moved to her bedroll and lay on her side to rest. Her top was pulled under her upper arm keeping her breasts mostly covered, but she was also turned away from the boy.

  Ignored, Alec went to help Helios with the animals. The dragaoin went back to sleep leaving the boy to keep watch once more while the others rested.

  No more hollows attacked. Alec wondered why they didn't. Though they had taken losses, there were only three guardians inside. One of the salamanders was dead and if they were able to think strategically, they would know that the people inside the corral were drained of much of their energy and magic. They were as weak as they would get and rest would only make them stronger again.

  While he thought that way, apparently the undead did not. There were no more attacks by the time the other two awoke. Alec also did his best to rest and ate from his travel food to regain much of the magic that he had lost.

  Camp broke and the fence was taken down. The rods were replaced on Helios' mount and Shaelamee's gear was spread between the remaining mounts. Helped up onto the blue salamander, the smaller girl rode with Alec as the three continued into the Soyanne Valley.

  Alec rode behind Shae feeling a bit uncomfortable and he knew that his discomfort amused the girl. The saddles had been combined on the single salamander. The creature was longer and larger than the horses of Southwall, so even two riders with two saddles were no problem for the blue lizard.

  On the other hand, the saddles needed to be close enough for him to have something to hold onto without falling off of the creature. That was where the discomfort arose.

  Shaelamee led the salamander holding the reins while Alec sat behind trying to hold onto the saddle. His feet could use the stirrups, but his hands and arms felt like they needed something else to keep them occupied. The salamander's steps would throw him side to side or even forward as the creature navigated a tight path descending into the valley.

  Thrown forward, Alec instinctively threw his arms around the girl to keep his seat. Her skin was cool to the touch at first, but the longer he held on the warmer she felt.

  Shaelamee had replaced the cloth skirt with her armored one, but her top was another tied off square. Dark blue matching her hair, the cloth left most of her back bare as well as her stomach above the skirt. Her chitin bracers and leg armor had been replaced to protect her a bit. Surprising to Alec, she had tied off the scarf used as a skirt last night around her right thigh. It looked wet as expected of the genasi who seemed half water and usually glistened everywhere.

  The novice noticed that when he bumped into her or was forced to wrap his arms around her torso, Shaelamee felt practically dry. It actually worried him, since she had appeared to need more moisture like when she slipped into the lake. Now she was as dry as a human though cooler to his touch.

  "Are you feeling alright?" he finally asked. "Your skin is dry."

  Glancing over her shoulder at him, the girl smiled, "I can control the moisture when I concentrate on it. I figured that you would prefer to stay dry so I moved the excess to the scarf." She tapped the wrapping around her thigh and water splashed slightly while a few drops dripped from her finger tips.

  Her right hand returned to the reins before her left took his to pull it tighter against her stomach. "You can hold on tighter, if you need to. You'll stay dry. I promise."

  There was a new smile as he held onto her at her insistence. Trying not to think of how close they were and how little the girl wore only worked for a moment. Alec did his best to control himself, but his body reacted to the beautiful blue woman like any teenaged boy's would. He just did his best not to show it.

  Again her green eyes looked over her bare shoulder at him before glancing lower and she smiled a knowing smile.

  Helios must have noticed as well because he looked over saying, "Stop teasing the boy, Shaelamee, and make sure that you concentrate on the world around us. More undead could show up at any time. They've been known to hide underground, so you two need to remain sharp."

  Her free hand dropped to touch Alec's leg. It was partially under her anyway with the two saddles touching each other. The boy tried to avoid blushing again, but Shae seemed practiced at making him do so.

  "Who says I am teasing him? I like having Alec around since he actually notices that I am a girl unlike the rest of you. Living here with Taurens and Koze is almost like being in a field with cattle. You dragaoin are too lizard like to care.

  "Ediyem is the only one that cares and that is only because she hates me."

  "I don't think that she hates you exactly," Helios answered slowly. "She doesn't appreciate your... attunement with nature. Shall we say?"

  Sniffing disapproval of his assessment, Shaelamee didn't actually argue against his insight.

  Helios' gaze met Alec's and he informed the young wizard, "Shaelamee isn't unusual among her people, if she hasn't already tried to explain that. They are like water spirits trying to remain connected to the land around them and they do their best to avoid placing barriers on that might affect that. Try not to let her antics put you off, since you seem more affected than I."

  "Ediyem said that other genasi are different from your people," Alec said to the girl in front of him. "They take on the form of the other main elements?"

  "More or less," Shaelamee replied looking at Helios a little more intently as if trying to read the dragaoin. "My people are bound to water. We need it more than the others, but for a time we can distance ourselves from it. Soaking the scarf is one way to do that.

  "The others bind with the other elements in ways that might make them look like one of your kind, but fire genasi are touched by fire noticeably. Air genasi tend to affect the air around them both subtly and on greater scales. Earth genasi hold dust and dirt, but look a lot like you also. Things like that have given our people nicknames like nature spirits and other variations from legends from other worlds."

  "Naiads or mermaids maybe?" Alec queried thinking of a couple from stories from his world.

  She just nodded. "We aren't like them... exactly, but an
yway that is how the Ciemnosci and Zmaj often see us."

  Helios who rode just ahead of the others suddenly pointed forward past his mount's head. "Pay attention now. We're here."

  Looking to the side of the blue girl, Alec took in a strange sight for a world that had looked scarred and recovering from what the dark elves had done to Atropos. A lush green land of forest bordering on what might be found in a jungle spread before them. Hills and small mountains spread out to the left and right of the party disappearing into the distance, but between them was a land full of life.

  It seemed strange that they had been sent here to find a source of undeath like the hollows.

  "This is it?" the boy questioned rhetorically but received nods from both of his companions.

  "The Soyanne Valley," Helios stated, "one of the protected lands during the battle with the Ciemnosci."

  Chapter 10- The Untamed Jungle

  The Soyanne Valley, a part of Atropos that seemed untouched by the blight of the aging sand of the Ciemnosci, it looked strange in a strange land; Alec thought to himself. There were tall trees and foliage in a variety of colors that made little sense to the boy from Alus. His world was mostly green during the summer with colors that looked like fire when the leaves turned in fall. Winter was white and gray, while only the spring really had colorful flowers in a variety beyond the other seasons.

  "Is it spring here?" he asked as the two salamanders slowly navigated the path down from the ridge leading into the valley.

  Helios looked at him curiously and asked without answering, "Why do you ask that?"

  "There are so many colors to the forest... or is it a jungle?" he added the last quietly drawing out a giggle from Shaelamee at his confusion.

  "This is what much of my world looked like mostly year round," the silver dragaoin replied as he turned his gaze back out onto the valley.

  There were a lot of green leaves and brown bark as Alec might expect from his own world, but there were also many trees with colors that made no sense for the weather. It was warm enough to think that it might be spring or even early summer, if it was Alus. He didn't know what the weather was year round having fallen into this world only a couple days ago. Alec knew that he had no perspective and thus he was forced to keep asking questions that might seem nonsense to those who had lived here all their lives or at least as long as these two appeared to have been.