Shadow Mage

by John Forrester

  There were no trees, no grass, no life that Talis could see. The air was thick with smoke, and indeed smelled strangely of cinnamon. Nikulo stood and dusted himself off, bending down and inspecting claw marks on a stone marker with a gold pyramidal cap.

  “The portal destination rune characters are here.” Nikulo scanned the ground. “Prints…scuffling of boots. See here, these must be the sorcerer’s, and here, something dragged…Mara’s cocoon? I think we’ve done it!”

  Talis was lost in thought as he squinted staring over the horizon. How long had it been since Mara and the sorcerer had gone through the portal? Perhaps an hour, maybe less. Could they catch up to them?

  “Over here, he’s freed Mara.” Nikulo held up a piece of the now dried and cracked cocoon. “You ready? The tracks lead this way.”

  Talis didn’t feel ready, he felt this foreign world was filled with dark creatures lurking behind the smoky air, but he followed Nikulo anyways as he waddled down the rocky ledge.

  “At least it’s not cold here… All I brought was my backpack with a few things and the Tandria Scroll.”

  “I know you don’t have any food inside there…and you ate everything back at the temple,” Talis said.

  “I can’t help it I’m always hungry.” Nikulo motioned to Talis’s backpack. “Anything good to eat in there?”

  “Not sure…Mistress Cavares brought me my backpack and gave me this.” Talis swung his pack around and displayed the crystal shard. “Should come in handy.”

  “Crystals don’t taste good. What else is in there?”

  Talis rummaged around inside the pack, then jumped as he noticed a rock moving on the ground.

  “What’s that?” He scurried aside and bent down to inspect the rock.

  “A shell.” Nikulo poked it. “Camouflaged.”

  “Do we dare turn it over?” Talis shuddered to think what kind of creatures were on this world. So far the bleakness had made him think of the Underworld….

  Nikulo flipped the creature over with a rock. The soft pink underbelly undulated with hundreds of disgusting, writhing feet.

  “It’s like an insect of some kind.”

  “I wonder if it tastes any good.” Nikulo smacked his lips, and snorted. “Spare a little Fire Magic for roasting an ugly bug?”

  “If you’re really that desperate, then sure why not.” Talis scoffed, releasing a slithering flame from his fingertips and let it toast the hideous insect. A high-pitched scream poured out from the creature.

  “Noisy little bugger.” Nikulo drooled as he watched Talis roast the bug.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Talis noticed the ground shifting and swaying. He stopped the flames. Squinting, he spotted hundreds of the same insects crawling towards them.

  “Umm…this can’t be good.”

  “What?” Nikulo glanced at Talis.

  Talis jabbed a finger at the creatures as he started stepping backwards. “As in we better get out of here fast. I don’t think his buddies liked us roasting him.”

  Nikulo grabbed the roasted bug, and they turned and ran down the hill. “I hope it tastes good, at least.”

  Talis sent Nikulo a look of disgust. He had to be crazy to even think about eating that thing. After running for ten minutes or so down the flat, sloping rocks, the mist opened up a bit and Talis could see green shrubbery and hints of a forest far off in the distance. He sighed. At least they were on a world with some green and hopefully life other than camouflaged insects.

  “Can we take a rest?” Nikulo huffed and coughed and bent over, pressing his hands onto his legs. “I’m not used to all this running.”

  “You might have at least practiced your sparring in the training arena.” Talis sniffed, and grinned at Nikulo. “Just because you lost your partner doesn’t mean you have to get out of shape.”

  “Hey, I was busy….”

  Talis chortled at that. “Busy drinking ale and eating roasted pork at the Wretched Farce?”

  Nikulo twisted up his nose. “How’d you know I went there?”

  “You crack horrible jokes, get far too drunk, and generally make an arse of yourself.”

  “So you went there as well, then? Hmph. Should’ve figured so much. You’re probably the one brooding in the corner.” Nikulo lifted the roasted insect, and scooped out some of the fleshy insides with his dagger. He chewed hesitantly, then his face brightened, and he nodded. “It’s not bad at all, a bit chewy, though. You’ve quite a skill at roasting, not too burnt…and just bloody enough. Exactly how I like it.”

  Talis dropped his head and shook it from side to side. What was he going to do with him? “That’s so disgusting, I can’t fathom how you’re eating that…thing.”

  “You’ve seen me hungry…you don’t want me grumpy, right?”

  Talis lifted his hands in a gestured of surrender. Then he scanned the ground. The tracks! They’d fled from the horde of insects and forgotten to scan for tracks. Talis slapped his forehead.

  “What? Something wrong?” Nikulo tried crunching on the insect’s shell and made a sour face. “This part is no good.” He spat it out.

  “We forgot to follow Mara’s tracks!”

  Nikulo glanced around, then bent down and farted. Talis backed up, waving away the smell. Gods, he smelled worse than the roasted bug looked!

  “You search that way, and I’ll look over here,” Nikulo said. “We can’t be too far off, didn’t we run in the direction their tracks led?”

  Talis ran his fingers through the sandy soil, and nodded. “But no more than five minutes, and come back. We can’t afford to separate.”

  As Talis trekked off, searching for tracks, he spotted a weird animal scampering between two bushes, like rabbit with an over-sized bottom. Charna crept low and stalked the rabbit, and Talis reached for his bow but realized he didn’t have one. He slung around his backpack instead, and opened it.

  Inside, the Surineda Map glowed faintly, as if welcoming him. Talis smiled, thinking how kind Mistress Cavares was. Why hadn’t he thought of using the map before? As he unfurled the map, he pictured Mara and a golden dot appeared. They were inside a forest. He also pictured Nikulo and himself, and guessed that she was maybe two hours away. They had to hurry.

  Talis ran back towards Nikulo, and shouted when he approached him.

  Nikulo’s eyes brightened. “Did you find her tracks?” He held something behind his back.

  “No…but I found this.” Talis displayed the Surineda Map.

  “It works here on this world? Interesting, let me see…is this Mara?”

  “She’s pretty far off, maybe a few hours away.”

  “Well, now that we have this, tracking them will be infinitely easier. Let’s go?”

  “What’s that behind your back?” Talis darted around to get a better view. “Not another one of those insects. If you’re hungry, I spotted a fat rabbit down in the bushes.”

  Nikulo grinned and released the bug. “Rabbits…I could go for some bunny stew.”

  They bounded down towards the bushes, searching for game. The landscape slowly changed from rocky steppes to grassland with sparse bushes here and there. Talis rested for a moment, and put a hand to his grumbling stomach. Farther out past several clumps of grass rested a small pool of water. When they got closer, Talis could see it was a spring bubbling up, spilling into a brook that meandered down through the grasslands.

  Talis kneeled next to the spring, and took a hesitant sip. “It’s delicious!”

  Nikulo lurched forward and plunged his entire face into the pool. He slurped noisily and shook his wet hair like a dog from a bath. Charna leapt back, surprised by all the flying water.

  “Thirsty much?” Talis chuckled at the water dripping down Nikulo’s face.

  “I’ve an appetite for life.” Nikulo slapped his belly so hard it jiggled. “Speaking of appetite! That’s the fattest rabbit I’ve ever seen!”

  He crept towards the animal, and raised three fingers to his temple. The rabbit twitched a bi
t, then hopped over to where Nikulo had kneeled. “He’s a cute bugger. Half of me wants to keep him as a pet, but the larger, hungrier part of me…well, that half always seems to win out in the end, doesn’t it.”

  “How about you keep him until dinner, we’ve a long ways to go before dark.” Talis scanned the horizon, wondering just how late in the day it was here on this world. He withdrew the map and saw that Mara and the sorcerer were farther ahead than before.

  “We’d better hurry up.”

  “I’ll carry him.” Nikulo stroked the rabbit’s velvety brown fur.

  Talis shrugged, and trekked along the brook towards a forest filled with limp trees swaying in the breeze. Enormous boulders the size of a house guarded the descent into the woods, and the brook dashed down and around the rocks until slowing in wetlands underneath the trees.

  “We might have to go around, unless we want to get wet.”

  Nikulo pointed at his drenched hair. “Something wrong with wet? It’s warm here.”

  The air smelled stronger of cinnamon here, but the smoke had diminished on their descent. Talis glanced left and right, trying to decide the right way to follow Mara. From what he remembered from the first time he’d checked the map, Palarian had gone directly inside the forest.

  “Let’s try to find a way inside.” Talis leapt from rock to rock, and climbed down the boulder, finding a crevice to make the descent easier. Charna had bounded down the rock face deftly, and was scouting ahead, sniffing something that caught her interest.

  Once at the bottom, Talis turned and stared up at Nikulo.

  “Well you made that look easy, didn’t you?”

  “You could always slide down the waterfall.” Talis grinned.

  To his surprise, Nikulo put the rabbit in his backpack, and found an edge and climbed backwards down the boulder face, discovering notches and crevices to grab ahold of. He pushed off near the bottom, and landed softly.

  “I’ve been practicing.” Nikulo wiped his hands and chortled at Talis. “Ever since that embarrassing incident climbing the tree in Seraka, I decided to improve my skills.”

  “Impressive,” Talis said, wondering what else Nikulo had been practicing these last few months.

  They found a way inside the thick forest, following a meandering path of moss and ferns that rose above the wetlands. The canopy of menacing trees above swayed gently in the warm wind, casting bladed bursts of sunlight on the lush emerald-green forest floor. The air held the pungent smell of wet rot and herbs like lime and mint and lemongrass, a fragrant explosion in Talis’s nostrils.

  The path was slow-going, stopping to navigate around swamp-lakes, sink-holes, and clusters of immature trees struggling to rise above the larger canopy. Even more frustrating, whenever Talis scanned the map, it seemed like Mara and the sorcerer were even farther ahead than before they entered the forest.

  “Aren’t you getting hungry?” Talis said, staring at the rabbit Nikulo held in his arms.

  Nikulo came out of his reverie suddenly, and glanced at Talis like he’d just suggested something horrible. “He’s quite a nice pet, you know.”

  “I suppose we could hunt other game. But you can’t keep him forever. If you’re not careful, Charna’s going to have him for a snack.” Talis scratched the lynx’s chin, and Charna purred noisily.

  “Keep that kitty away from my bunny. She can find her own supper out there in the swamp.”

  As if taking the hint, Charna’s tail twitched and she darted off into the bushes.

  “It’s getting dark.” Talis stared above at the mottle of grey and gold-edged canopy trees. As long as they had the Surineda Map, they could track Mara wherever she went.

  “Let’s go until it’s too dark to walk.”

  Talis followed Nikulo, minding his way around thick ferns and tangle vines that slithered towards him whenever he passed. The forest sprung to life wherever they went. Talis worried about sleeping anywhere in this strange forest for fear of what might come to them in the night. The forest was eerily quiet. Since entering, Talis hadn’t spotted a single creature.

  Charna returned when the light failed the way, proudly displaying a fat mole wriggling in her mouth. “Well, look what a good hunter you are.” Talis smiled at Charna, and received the gift she lay at his feet. “Is this a good enough place to rest for the night?”

  Nikulo glanced around suspiciously, petting his rabbit. He shrugged, then sighed in resignation. “Over there, in that stand of trees. Maybe there’s more protection from the foliage.” He kicked away a tangle vine that was snaking up his leg.

  The cluster of young trees had a nest of bark and branches beneath them, with no vines or shrubbery around the base. Talis selected a good stick, and prepared the mole for a roast. He was wary about starting a fire here, in this creepy forest, so he cast careful lines of flame from his fingertips, inhaling the sweet stench of roasted meat.

  The rabbit in Nikulo’s arms twitched nervously at the Fire Magic, but was calmed by reassuring strokes from Nikulo. At last the roast was complete.

  “You’re not going to eat all of that, are you?” Nikulo opened his mouth, then wiped a line of drool.

  “Aren’t you full from eating that mystery meat?”

  “Completely unsatisfying. Left me wanting more.” Nikulo gazed expectantly at the roast.

  “What? More of that hideous looking insect?” Talis shrugged, and took a bite of the roast. “Now this is a feast, a meal worth waiting for.”

  Nikulo opened his mouth, then closed it, his face forming the expression of a puppy begging. Talis was planning to make him suffer even more, but gave in when his friend allowed a whimper to escape from the back of his throat. He handed him the roast, and snorted.

  “What would we do without Charna.” Talis dug deep into the lynx’s neck fur, relishing the low murmurs and rumblings of appreciation. “I hope you found your supper first, golden-eyed one.”

  The lynx licked her lips, and bent her head down as if answering. She curled up alongside Talis’s legs, and closed her eyes. The night was black as coal now, and the forest had come alive with an explosion of insects chattering and strange animal grunting and hooting noises scattered everywhere.

  Talis’s eyes drooped heavily as he listened to the sounds, unable to stay awake. Stars flared in his mind’s eye, flashes of the sun and ringlets of light. But behind it all hundreds of eyes lumbered towards him in the darkness, calling out to him, singing in a soft, hypnotic rhythm, until he cared little of resisting….

  15. NIGHTMARE FOREST

  Talis jerked awake at the sound of a bird’s shriek, and glanced warily around at the dim golden light illuminating the forest floor. Was it morning already? Something smelled rotten, stinking of old mold and fresh vomit. In a panic, he realized that Nikulo was gone. Talis’s backpack was stolen, the Surineda Map was missing, and worst of all, the sword that his father had given him, that was gone as well.

  What had happened? One moment he’d gone asleep, and the next he’d woken all alone. Now the night was black and cold like the Northlands, and Talis shivered, realizing his cloak was stolen also. He felt like crying, but he was shaking so bad from the cold and the fear of this strange, dark forest, the tears failed to come. Electricity sizzled under his skin, filling his entire body with the feeling that he might die tonight.

  He was vividly awake, listening to the birds chirp and complain, the wind scattering leaves across the forest floor, and the moaning and croaking of tree branches above. But one sound stabbed out at his ears, so that all the other sounds faded away, like when you hear a predator stalking you in the night. For it was a predator, and many of them, slithering through the dry leaves, a cacophony of shooshing like a mother putting her baby to sleep.

  Yellow, slitted eyes glowed in the dark, moving towards him. Talis rummaged around the ground and found a stick, thick with long, twisted branches. He slashed out at those hideous eyes and writhing shapes, only to find his weapon had dissolved into hundreds of crawling sha
pes, like black ink spilling from his hands.

  A shiver of revulsion ran through him. He sprinted, kicking and clearing a path, knowing there were too many, far too many for him to fight. Past the clustered trees, through wetlands and stumbling over logs and grassy tufts, Talis could hear the sound of the snakes slowly fade into the background. The night was still once more. Sweat drenched his back, and yet his fingers and face were still numb from the cold.

  The smell of clear, fragrant water bubbling through the forest instilled the feeling of peace within his mind. He still worried of finding Nikulo and their gear, but the strength of his thirst was greater than that. A moonbeam sliced it’s way through the mottled sky and wavering trees, illuminating the stream’s mossy edges in white and grey tones.

  He kneeled and scooped up two handfuls of black water, then cried out as several rats leapt from his hands. Those tiny feet terrorizing his palms, so close to his thirsty and parched lips. He wanted to scream and scratch and wipe his hands until the rat-stench came off. But he stopped and thought.

  This was all a nightmare.

  Talis stared at the inky water rippling angrily, and felt a buzzing sensation pulse along the back of his neck. He raised his head and found himself staring out over a vast desert horizon, early morning purple hues tainting the sky. A dragon flew towards him, black shiny scales twinkling in the light of the moon and stars, and its terrible jaws poured forth an avalanche of fire that seared the dry ground, scorching the land. Gold eyes terrorized his soul as the dragon bore down on him. He raised his hands to combat flame with fire but found his powers gone, he was helpless to the onslaught of flame.

  The heat kissed his skin, and he smelled the sick stench of burning hair as flames lapped over him. Dying, he refused to feel pain, and instead the bliss of clarity filled his mind. This was just a dream, he told himself, and repeated the words over and over again, until he woke and felt sweat drenching his body.