Into The Abyss (Demons of Astlan)

by Langland, J.

  Tom cut her off abruptly. "SHUT UP--GIRL!" Jenn shut up. Rupert shook his head to clear it. Tom had been rather loud. "Very well, Rupert," he said in a more normal voice, "since, YOU asked, I'll stay." He rustled the boy's hair gently with his hand. He looked at Jenn, "I am going to stay to help Rupert, if you want, you may come along. But I won't force your company. I don't force other people to do things against their will." Tom said pointedly. He could tell this girl was going to be a problem.

  “Damn.” Jenn cursed. She appeared to be thinking about something, apparently weighing their options.

  "There is no way I'll leave poor Rupert to you and your schemes. I'm sure that's what you want, probably a nice young human soul to corrupt and consume. But you're not going to get it without going through me first. I'll go wherever Rupert goes, even with you, if necessary."

  Like he'd thought, reflected Tom, she's going to be a pain. At least she does have a few more guts than she'd shown earlier. Rupert was sadly shaking his head at Jenn's speech.

  "Good, I'm glad you’re being more agreeable, Jenn, even if it is for the wrong reasons," said Rupert. "Now, we'd better see if anyone else here is still alive, and what we can salvage." Rupert set off to search through the remains of the wagon train.

  ~

  Jenn simply stared after him. There was something really strange about Rupert, he was not acting like a boy his age. He was so business like, when he should have been scared witless, and to treat a demon so. Surely he really had gone insane. At least he had the decency to avoid the blackened corpses, and even get sick looking at them. If he'd been able to do that, she'd known for sure he was lost.

  She looked back at the demon, who was watching Rupert, if she didn't know better, she'd swear it almost appeared as puzzled as her about Rupert's actions. She suddenly had a horrid chill, what if, while she'd been out, the demon had possessed Rupert. She'd never seen such a thing, but, naturally, she’d heard of it. Could the boy already be a puppet of Evil. Good Goddess, was this some monstrous plot to get her?

  Jenn shook her head, no that was foolish, she was just an unimportant student wizard. No fourth order demon would go to that much trouble over someone so menial. Still, she'd have to watch them both. The demon had some sort of strange hold on the boy. Goddess, if only it wasn't too late already to save him. Finally, she came to a decision.

  "Well, if we're stuck with you, until we reach safety. Then I guess we had better head for Freehold." That was the closest 'safe' place. "So, I had better see what we can salvage." Jenn glared challengingly at the demon. She then set off to look for her things.

  They found no one else left alive. They still had two horses left, Timber Leaf and Bitterwhite, Chestnut and her partner were still paralyzed on the ground, eventually they'd be all right, but it would take a day or so for the spell to wear off. So in the meantime, Jenn undid their harnesses, so that they'd be able to get up and move. Unfortunately, all of the wagons were inoperable, Jehenna's guide poles had been broken when the horses fell, Trisfelt's had a hole in it and the rest were torched. The hole in Trisfelt's wagon was most interesting. Apparently, he was in such a hurry to leave, that rather than take the extra time to individually select the people and things that would go with him in his teleport spell, Trisfelt had simply done an area teleport, and taken everything within a certain radius of himself. Aesthetically it was considered crude, but it was a considerably faster and easier way to teleport multiple objects, than the more traditional way; however, given the circumstances, few wizards would have faulted him for his inelegance.

  Actually, it was all for the best, Jenn reflected. The demon could fly or whatever it wanted to do and riding horses would be considerably faster than pulling a wagon. Fortunately, Jenn had few, truly important belongings, her extra clothes, toiletries, a few notebooks and her diary. The problem would be carrying food.

  That problem was solved however by the demon, surprisingly enough, it did at least provide the service of going through the pile of melted soldiers and locating some leather saddle bags and other equipment, that could be used. The leather was in bad shape from the fire, but enough was salvageable that they were able to get two complete sets of equipment. Thus in only a few hours they were ready to go.

  The best they could do for the dead was a mass burial. The demon, reluctantly, piled all of the dead from the wagon train together. Jenn then cast a Moriella's Move Earth Spell, and parted the ground under them, so that the corpses would at least be buried. She then closed the earth on top of them. She wished she knew some words to say, but what with all that had happened, she couldn't think of what would be appropriate. She simply offered a small prayer to the Goddess. Besides, she reflected, what with an Agent of Evil standing by, anything she said could easily be perverted into a mockery.

  The problem came when Jenn mounted her horse, and Rupert refused to. He'd seemed reticent about the whole saddle thing, but hadn't said anything until it was time to mount. "I just can't Jenn. I can't ride a horse."

  "Oh Rupert," she said in despair. "It's not that difficult. Here, I'll get down and help you mount, then just hang onto the saddle horn. I'll lead and Timber Leaf will follow." She dismounted to do as she said.

  "No," he said backing away. "It’s not that Jenn...it’s just that, well, remember Chestnut."

  That did give her pause, true he had reason to fear horses, after that. "Rupert, that was Chestnut, Timber Leaf is a lot more gentle, she won't act that way, I promise. I don't know what got into Chestnut, but it was just a freak thing."

  "No, no it wasn't Jenn," his eyes were starting to get watery, and his voice a little choked. "Horses don't like me, none of them."

  "That's nonsense, Rupert. You can't make generalities about such things, simply based on one experience and your own expectations."

  "I'm glad you agree," the demon interjected dryly.

  She glared at him for interrupting, and ignored him. "Come on, I'll help you mount."

  "No, please Jenn." Rupert was on the verge of tears. Jenn was frustrated, but at least she was reassured to see Rupert acting like a normal scared kid again.

  "Rupert, come on. Horses do not hate you, come on. Just try petting Timber Leaf, you'll see." Rupert shook his head, but didn't actually say anything. "I'll hold your hand Rupert, that way if Timber Leaf does anything, I can protect you." That should get him to try it.

  Rupert looked doubtful. "It won't work, Jenn, Timber Leaf doesn't like me."

  "Come here, let's just try it." She knew if he did this, he'd see there was nothing to be afraid of. Slowly, Rupert came forward. Jenn took his hand. "Here, we'll come from the front, where Timber Leaf can see us, and there is no way she'll get spooked." As they approached the horse, it eyed them speculatively. When they got within about two feet, it backed up. Jenn sighed with annoyance, "Silly horse." They approached a little closer. The horse backed up again.

  Getting frustrated, Jenn reached out with her other hand to grab the reins and hold the horse still. It was just like a horse to do exactly what you didn't want it to. As she held the horse in place, she moved Rupert's hand up to pet Timber Leaf. As the boy's hand came closer, Timber Leaf shook her head and tried to get away from the hand. Jenn frowned in puzzlement, Rupert looked nervous again. As she tried again, Timber Leaf reared in fright, just as Chestnut had the night before.

  Jenn let go of Rupert's hand, and he backed quickly away. Jenn started murmuring and calming, trying to relax the horse. It took just a few minutes, and Timber Leaf was standing fairly calmly again. Jenn turned to the boy, a grimace of frustration on her face. "Well, Rupert, I guess you knew what you were talking about. So what do we do now?"

  Rupert shrugged, happy to be relieved of having to ride. "I guess I'll walk, you ride. "We'll just have a spare horse."

  "Great, we'll never get to Freehold." Jenn said, "I guess we'll just have to walk the horses. If you're going on foot then I guess I can too, for now." Rupert, just bowed his head looking guilty, but not unhappy.
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br />   "Well, let's go then." She still had Timber Leaf's reins, so she loosely tied them to a rope, which she then attached to her horse's saddle. Jenn then set off down the road leading her horse, followed by Timber Leaf, then Rupert, and the demon hovering behind.

  They followed the trail onward and upward, once again following the mountainside. The day wore on slowly, their pace hampered by Rupert's slow walking pace. Actually Jenn was quite impressed, an hour later Rupert still hadn't complained, and for all that they were slowed by their going on foot, they were still moving at a considerable pace. For his part Rupert marched steadily onward, quite content with walking and the way things were. Jenn's own feet were beginning to hurt.

  Eventually, however, the pace began to show on them. Jenn gave in and mounted her horse. Rupert was beginning to look a bit tired, despite a few stops, but he still refused to try and mount Timber Leaf. After another two hours he was beginning to slow down. Jenn really didn't want to stop yet, even though it was only about an hour and a half till sunset. For one thing, they were on a narrow mountain trail with no place to stop for the night. Further she wasn't sure what to do about camping. She really didn't feel safe with the demon watching her while she slept. She'd be extremely vulnerable to his attack. However, Rupert really couldn't go much further. "Rupert," she called back to him.

  "Yes?"

  "You want to try riding again?"

  "No Jenn. Nothing's changed. If you want to continue, I can keep walking." Even though Rupert sounded sure of it, Jenn didn't believe it, he was slowing down, and looking exhausted. No wonder, he'd been through a big day and then a three hour march. She didn't know how he was managing it. She knew they'd have to stop as soon as a suitable spot was found, unfortunately that didn't look like it would be for a while. She just wanted to get to Freehold as fast as possible, and definitely didn't want to camp with the demon. Not that she'd be able to avoid it. What with at least eight more days journey.

  ~

  While Jenn's attention was directed towards looking for a camping spot up ahead, Tom came down near Rupert and whispered in his ear.

  "Rupert," he said softly, trying not to attract too much of Jenn's attention.

  "What sir?"

  "Would you like me to carry you?"

  "I can manage," Rupert said, although he seemed relieved at the offer.

  "I'm sure you can, it’s just that it wouldn't be any bother for me, and I think your friend wants to continue for some time. And when we do stop, I'm sure she'll want you to take turns watching me, so I don't kill you all. Therefore, I think it would be smart if you got some rest while you can."

  Rupert smiled at Tom's little joke. At least someone wasn't frightened of everything he did. "Well, O.K. I guess." Rupert turned around to face Tom. Tom, hovering a foot off the ground, reached down and carefully picked the boy up.

  "Put your arms around my neck, and rest your head on my shoulder. I think that will be most comfortable for you." The boy did as he was instructed. Even though Rupert was good size for his age, he still was no larger than a toddler compared to Tom's giant size.

  Jenn turned when she noticed them stopping, and gasped as she saw what was happening. "What are you doing!" she screamed. "Goddess above, put that boy down you foul beast!" She stopped her horse and would have turned it around if she could.

  "Relax! I'm not going to bite his head off. If I'd wanted to, I could have done it any time, and you wouldn't have been able to do anything about it," Tom said to her.

  "I don't care! I don't trust you. If you so much as harm a hair on that boy..." Jenn threatened.

  "You'll what?" Tom asked tiredly. "The boy is tired, there's no place to stop, we have to go on. I offered him a ride; he accepted. It's the best solution. Further, I am sorry but there isn't anything you can do about it. So live with it. You already have my word that I'll protect the boy."

  "Jenn," Rupert said with his back to Jenn, resting his head on Tom's shoulder, "don't worry. I trust him."

  Jenn glared at the demon, then at the boy's back. She turned around angrily on her seat, but said nothing. Tom put his left arm across the back of Rupert's thighs and his right hand rested on his back, to hold him like any small child.

  ~

  Rupert did as he was told, resting his head outward on Tom's shoulder, as the demon took off again. Rupert hadn't wanted to tell anyone, but he was tired. He hadn't thought he'd be able to take too many more steps before collapsing. Now, however, he could relax. Feeling the heavily muscled, scaly shoulder under his cheek, the rhythmic beating of the bat like wings, and the gentle claws on his back, Rupert felt that he could finally relax. Not completely, not yet, but more so then he had in a long time. For the first time that he could remember, in an incredibly long time, he felt completely safe and protected.

  Chapter 30

  The sun had set about a half hour ago, only the blue horizon to the west indicating that it wasn't long down. They'd continued for about two hours after Tom had started carrying Rupert. Tom could make out Rupert's deep breathing indicating that the boy was sound asleep. He flew as smoothly as he could so as not to wake him. Tom wasn't sure why, but he really liked the little guy. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that he was the only human who didn't treat him like the demon he was.

  Jenn and he hadn't spoken a word since he'd started carrying Rupert. He couldn't figure her out. One moment scared witless and fainting, the next, openly hostile. He couldn't decide if it was an Astlanian trait, a wizard's trait, or just a female one. Whatever it was, she was definitely not the best company in the world.

  As he was musing this, he was startled by the sun rising behind him. The entire valley was suddenly lit like a giant flashbulb went off. Thunder rolled across the sky above him, and the horses on the road seemed to shake. A hot, harsh wind buffeted him from behind. Smaller rocks and boulders slid down the mountainside. Frightened, the horses started neighing and dancing, Jenn was forced to stop them in an effort to calm them. Both looked behind them to where the intense golden light was fading slowly, a huge cloud, like a cupcake with a really big top on it, rising higher than the mountaintops behind them. It seemed oddly familiar to Tom.

  "What the hell was that?" Tom asked.

  "Lenamare, I think."

  "I knew he was pretty smart, but I never thought of him as being quite so bright," Tom commented wryly. He caught a brief grin on her face, before she remembered who made the comment.

  "It wasn't him," she replied coldly. "It was the surprise he'd left behind for Exador."

  "An explosion," Tom guessed.

  "Yes, some sort of device of his. One of his greatest achievements, he claims. It uses some strange, extremely rare unstable material. He focuses a beam of concentrated energy on it until the innermost structure of the stuff splits up into more stable materials. In the process it apparently releases great quantities of energy. He explained it to all the masters and students who could understand it the night before we left.

  "Which is one reason he stayed behind. In addition to giving us a head start, he wanted everyone out of the way before activating it. Apparently, in addition to explosive damage it also has a built in area affect sickness spell."

  Tom thought for a moment, surprised, and then shocked. "Are you saying he used a nuclear weapon on his enemy?"

  She looked at him puzzled. "If that's what you call it. It figures that a fiend from the depths would know of such destructive things."

  Tom ignored that remark, this changed several things. He'd always thought of these people as backwards medievalists who also happened to have real witches. If these people could control nuclear devices, then in their own way they were as advanced as his own people. Somehow it seemed to make the whole thing seem much more real. "So let me see if I understand this," Tom said to Jenn, since she seemed somewhat willing to talk. "Lenamare decided to pull out of his keep, where he was securely protected from his enemies. He sent all of his people out ahead to escape and then did a suicide
destruction of his enemy."

  "Hah," Jenn laughed, "Lenamare, sacrifice himself for anyone! Hah! That's a joke. No you can be sure he set some sort of timer and then teleported away, after removing the wards, for fullest effect."

  "O.K. but then where are the rest of the people, surely that wasn't everyone in the castle back there."

  "No, we split into different groups, for maximum diversion and the greatest hope of some people getting away. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working too well."

  Tom couldn't say anything to that, but he did ask, "Why? Why would he abandon such a secure position? That force field of his seemed pretty potent, and with the resources he had to call on."

  "Not quite, the wards were failing. When you so obligingly forced us to open it, Exador sent fireballs in and killed a lot of our people, including one of the people maintaining the wards, who happened to be my close friend!" Jenn's anger at the demon coming back.

  That shocked him a bit. He only vaguely remembered the whole thing, and then nothing about fireballs. He hated to think innocent people had been killed when he tried to get in. "I'm sorry; I didn't know." Jenn remained silent. "I really didn't know too much about what was going on. I really wasn't in control then. I couldn't help what I did. Lenamare didn't give me much choice. His orders were pretty specific to return to him.

  "Believe me, if I had had a choice, I certainly wouldn't have returned." Tom was feeling a bit cold at the moment toward Lenamare, but he did regret her friend dying, maybe that explained her attitude, a bit. "I really am sorry your friend died," he repeated.