Heroes of Perpetua

by Brian Clopper

  Hugo scanned the nearby trees and bushes. When he spotted a slow-moving shelled reptile that looked like a turtle with upright purple crystals growing from its triangular shell, he scampered over and held his hands out as he dropped to one knee in front of the creature to halt its slow escape. “Hey, little guy. Let’s chat.”

  Hugo scrunched up his lips and nose and stared at the shard turtle. Good enough temporary name as any, Nelson thought.

  Hugo kept his face in a grimace and talked out of the side of his mouth. “It works. This guy is none too pleased with me. He’s a man on a mission, heading to pillage the stash of moss his neighbor has been hoarding.” Hugo’s expression softened to a gentle smile. “They’ve got a major feud going on.”

  The turtle angled to the right and plodded forward. Hugo didn’t try to block the animal.

  When the reptile had made it past him, he rose, dusted off a knee, and looked at Nelson. “That’s pretty cool. I mean, the turtle was a little bit boring but still, I can talk to animals.” He winked at Nelson. “And plants.”

  Hugo marched over to a tree with orange bark, the only one of its kind in the vicinity. He knocked on it twice and then put his hands on his hips and stared at its lowest set of branches.

  Lou drew up next to Nelson. “We really don’t have time for him to talk to every single thing in these woods.”

  “We need an army that can attack alongside us. I don’t see why he’s addressing a tree right now.” Nelson was annoyed.

  She smiled and patted his shoulder. “Because you said yourself you haven’t talked with any flora yet? He wants to be the first.”

  “Oh.” He secretly liked her word choice.

  Hugo abandoned the tree and walked over to them.

  Lou said, “Tree not much for chatting with you?”

  “No, it had plenty to say. When I was a ghost, any tree like that was weird.”

  “Weird, how?” Lou said.

  “Well, I had no problem streaking through other plants, but when I’d fly through one of those, it was a little uncomfortable. So I asked it to tell me why that was.”

  “And did it?” Nelson asked.

  “Not exactly, but it shoved a memory into my head of warring wizards chopping down the trees and building cages from them.”

  “Like Orb or Itzel?” Lou eyed the tree.

  “No, I got the impression it was showing me a very old memory. Something about it happening many rings ago.”

  Nelson nodded. “That makes sense. You can tell how old a tree is by its rings. I guess they’re aware of that and mark the passage of time in that way.”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “Did you see what the cages were for?” Lou asked.

  Hugo nodded. “Ghosts.”

  Nelson said, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you get stuck in the tree when you passed through it?”

  Hugo shrugged. “Not sure, but the wizards did infuse the cages with some sort of magic.”

  Lou said, “Well, then we have to assume Nelson can talk to the dead.” She looked around. “I don’t think we should take the time to find a dead body and confirm, do you?”

  “No, we need to move forward. But this does change our roles. Does everyone understand what we need to do?” Nelson resumed walking in the direction of the stronghold.

  Hugo executed an exaggerated salute. “I have my marching orders. I have to assemble an army on our way to the stronghold.” He took longer strides and pulled ahead of Nelson.

  Lou looked around. “Should I ghost here and leave my body hidden somewhere nearby?”

  Nelson said, “No. Wait until we get to Orb’s.” He looked at Hugo. “He can keep back a small squad to protect your body.”

  She nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Hugo accelerated his march, throwing his hands out and spouting off a declaration. “Okay, folks with claws, fangs, horns, spikes, and other lethal adaptations, who wants to join my army?”

  The sounds of the woods didn’t change.

  Nelson looked at his friend. Would the jittery boy be able to persuade enough to lend a hand, paw, wing, or flipper? Nelson felt a tinge of jealousy.

  It should be me, he thought.

  Chapter 24

  Hugo Assembles an Army

  It was a good five minutes before Hugo had any success. The first overture, which he’d made to a family of burrowing creatures that had rather nasty quills radiating from their long snouts, failed.No amount of mental persuasion could convince the skittish family to set foot out of their den.

  He then turned his attention to a variety of birds. He enlisted a dozen quetzes, large black birds similar to crows but with blunter white beaks. He bagged two impressive predators, folgiks, whose talons were barbed and coated in a berry juice that paralyzed their prey, and terrubs, almost translucent serpents with massive jaws. Hugo related how the birds endlessly boasted about this hunting strategy.

  Lou congratulated him with every new ally. This power wasn’t as effortless as being a ghost. It required much more concentration, but he was getting better at it.

  He enlisted half a colony of strange ants, each the size of a meatball sub, and just as red. That swelled their numbers past a hundred. The insects scuttled around them.

  Nelson stared at the figure-eight-shaped abdomens of the bugs.

  Hugo said, “What’s so fascinating?”

  “Well, I never got around to trying an insect. What’re they like?”

  “Very single-minded. These guys are normally assigned to cutting down a certain stiff grass that’s used in their brood chambers. They actually weave it together to make a series of levels, which maximizes the space, as they can stack the eggs or pupa or whatever.”

  Nelson nodded.

  “I negotiated a deal. We’d tear up a bunch of grass for them and deliver it to their mound after our mission. Hope that’s okay.”

  Nelson nodded again.

  “They’re also very mindful of scent trails and quite annoyed we didn’t send ahead a scout to mark our path.” Hugo gyrated his rump. “I told them humans didn’t work like that, and they had the nerve to say it was our loss.”

  Nelson snickered.

  Hugo liked that he’d gotten his friend to laugh. “You need to do more of that. Laughter is such good medicine.”

  “Laughter has no practical medical applications.”

  Lou jumped in. “Not true. It produces—”

  “Endolphins!” Hugo touted. He mimicked the high-pitched clicking of the sea mammal, knowing it would irritate Nelson. He swatted his hands together very close to his chest to imitate congratulating flippers.

  “Endorphins.” Nelson shot him a look that screamed haughty. “They cause the body to decrease stress hormones and increase production of immune cells.”

  He lightly swatted Nelson’s back. “I knew that. Just getting your goat.” He talked out of the side of his mouth. “And that’s an idiom. I don’t want to steal your farm animal.”

  Nelson rolled his eyes.

  Hugo wondered what chemicals eye-rolling produced and was about to ask that question when a huge animal approached them from straight ahead. The beast walked on all fours and looked like a bright orange grizzly, if said bear had four eyes and a wide mouth more suited to a whale. Luckily, its teeth were all flat and not sharp. So an herbivore then, he thought. He looked at Nelson. Should I share my classification conclusion to earn points with nature boy?

  The creature roared and scuffed at the ground with its front legs. It stood on its thicker hind legs and thrashed its black tail, the only part of it not covered in fur.

  “You’re on.” Lou waved for Hugo to step forward.

  Hugo reached out with his mind. Hey, big guy. We’re not berries. No need to get all worked up.

  The bear’s reply grumbled and reverberated. My territory. Big guy? Was that a comment on my weight?

  Not at all. I can see you like space. We’re just passing through. Hugo wondered if he could knock it to the ground. The c
reature had a low center of gravity, so he probably would bounce off his sizable gut instead of bowling it over.

  No, go around. And stop looking at my hips. I’m still shedding the last of my winter weight. It’s taking some time to slim down.

  Well, we’re operating on a deadline. Mounting a rescue and soundly defeating evil. Lots of pressure. So if it’s all the same to you, we’d like to just pass through.

  Evil? You mean the two legs that lords over the shadow creatures that wing through my land at all times of the night?

  Yes, that guy. The baron’s pretty rotten. If you let us through, we can put a stop to the gauntwings invading your lovely home.

  The creature considered the proposition. It dropped back on all fours and trundled the last few feet to place its nose almost against Hugo’s chest. It sniffed. You don’t smell like you are casting an untruth. Might I petition you to let me join? I’d really love to eviscerate as many of the foul creatures as I can. Gauntwings you say?

  Yes, they all have wings and they’re not all that nice.

  The creature let a laugh rumble out from deep inside. Yes, of course. So . . . may I join you on your quest?

  Absolutely. You’re a fine specimen who I’m sure we can depend on to be brutal in inventive ways.

  Sometimes I cobble together crafty knick-knacks from the entrails of interlopers.

  Hugo stiffened.

  The beast smiled. Don’t worry. I’ve decided you don’t fit that category anymore. You are welcome in my land. He examined Hugo’s stomach. Besides, I can’t imagine you’ve got all that many guts tucked up in your tiny frames. You really ought to think about adding some meat to your bones. Straggly doesn’t convey victory to your opponents.

  I’ll take that under consideration. Thanks.

  Hugo spared his friends the details and said, “He’s going to help. I think he should be the first one through the gate, don’t you?”

  The beast turned around and rolled through the woods. I think gatecrasher suits me.

  ****

  As they grew closer to the stronghold, Hugo convinced the beast he’d nicknamed Grizzly to be lighter in step, as his progress was spooking any possible candidates for enlistment and maybe not conducive to a sneak attack.

  In the last ten minutes, he’d drafted two packs of predators that reminded him of wolves—if wolves had a mess of tentacles rimming a beaked mouth—plus more birds, dozens of reptiles, and numerous rodents and small mammals who kept airing the grievance that the squid wolves were eyeing them funny. Hugo then had to spend time broadcasting to all members of his army that eating their fellow soldiers was not ideal and, in fact, ‘very devastating to morale.’

  The wolves slunk off, amenable to the food chain truce, for the moment.

  Lou watched the lean backsides of the pack animals slide into the woods. “You’re doing surprisingly well.”

  Hugo delivered a winning smirk in her direction. “Could’ve done without your choice of adverb there.”

  She smiled. “Can’t give you too much credit. You already have way too high an opinion of yourself.”

  He snorted and marched on.

  Shortly, and another twenty or so new animals brought into the fold later, the walls of the stronghold could be seen through the branches ahead. Hugo mentally halted his army and issued a stealth order.

  Several possum-like beasts with floppy ears that resembled leaves sat on their haunches and started employing hand signals to dart forward. Hugo watched them move with purpose from cover to cover, winding up with their elongated backs pressed against a fallen tree at the forest’s edge.

  Grizzly wiggled past two long-necked recruits with lethally sharp hooves. He lowered his head to gently rest on Hugo’s shoulder.

  Massacre all within the walls?

  “No!” Hugo sent his next thoughts out to all. Only take out the shadow creatures. Anyone else you come across, leave alone.

  You don’t want us to maim the not gauntwings and bring them to you?

  No. Off limits. Just gauntwings. Yellow eyes, wings, and always impossibly black. He considered for a moment. It was a longshot, but what if the one gauntwing he’d befriended had really not died? Like, maybe they could reconstitute themselves. Maybe the baron had brought it back and rehabilitated the gauntwing. Well, also, if any of the shadow creatures look like a key, don’t hurt that one, okay?

  Grizzly shrugged. Your call. He pushed past Hugo, dropping himself low and crawling the last several yards.

  Hugo looked at Nelson and then at Lou. “You need to get inside during our attack.”

  Nelson pointed to a natural recession at the base of a tree, not an orange-barked kind. He dropped to his knees and scooped out the fallen leaves, revealing an indentation large enough to fit a bean bag. “This should do the trick.”

  Lou thanked him and settled into the hole, resting her back against the tree trunk.

  Hugo directed several different animals, all tree dwellers, to stay back and guard Lou.

  Nelson draped several fallen branches over her hiding place until it was hard to spot her from a relative distance. If anything got close enough to ferret her out, the soldiers Hugo had assigned to her detail would swoop down.

  Lou closed her eyes, and her ghost slipped free. It passed through the branches and hovered a few feet off the ground in front of Hugo.

  “We can do this,” she said.

  “We can. Just wish I had a sword or something.” Hugo scanned his gathering army. “How many do you think will follow through?”

  Nelson said, “All of them. You did a good job. You were very persuasive. You can tell on their faces they’re with you.”

  “I’ll take your word for it, shrimp.” He smiled at Nelson.

  Surprisingly, he smiled back. It was a quick grin, a little lopsided like its owner, but it was heartfelt.

  Lou drifted up into the trees, likely so she could approach from on high.

  He pointed at Lou’s feet disappearing into the canopy. “We have to kick the hornet’s nest and draw so much attention to ourselves that she can get in safely.”

  “Certainly.”

  “Also, stick with me. If we get separated, we regroup back here. If we’re losing badly, regroup here and retreat with Lou’s body.”

  “What if Lou doesn’t come out for a while?”

  “Then, I guess, we have to get you in. I can’t talk to the spirits in the Well.”

  “Roger that,” Nelson said.

  “My name’s not Roger.”

  “No, it’s an expression. It came from World War II when pilots were using two-way radios. It means—”

  “I know what it means. Just getting you to laugh again.” Hugo took off into the woods. “Wanted to trigger some of our endorphins.” He looked back at his friend, hoping the boy’s expression wouldn’t be blank.

  Nelson followed, quiet and grinning.

  Endorphins work your magic.

  He sent out a simple mental command. Charge!

  Chapter 25

  Lou Sees Through a Fellow Spirit

  Lou flew well above the trees, hoping that anyone who looked up would lose her in the clouds. It was dark now, which also helped. Although, she worried a little that her ghost form might be more visible against the night sky.

  Below, she watched Hugo’s army charge across the open field in front of the castle. The front gate was open, and gauntwings poured out. She saw the guard ones Hugo had mentioned and hated how their movements were so choppy like bad stop-motion animation.

  Grizzly tore into the ranks of the shadow creatures. Lou tried to spot her friends amid the army, but it was too dark and the flurry of movement made it impossible. Animals would die. She hated knowing that.

  And Nelson, with his love of nature, would have a front row seat to all that spilled blood.

  She paused. What were they thinking? This was all too much. What right did they have to force others to fight their battles?

  Lou fretted. Her thoughts were muc
h looser in this form, almost as if they were stretched thin. It made it easy to drift and go off on tangents. She’d noticed that with Hugo but always assumed that was the boy’s normal mode. He wasn’t much more focused when in his real body.

  Although, how he’d assembled an army in under an hour was impressive. He’d been tightly tuned in for that.

  The fighting was intense, but she needed to focus on getting into the stronghold.

  It pretty much resembled a fortress. Not that she was a medieval scholar, but it had four turrets at its corners, with crenellated walls that protected an open area along with several low buildings, and two structures that looked like proper castles. She opted to land on the taller of the two.

  She swept around the back of the stronghold as quite a few of the snake and bat gauntwings zipped about near the front. This part of the stronghold butted up against a sheer cliff that loomed over the whole affair by a hundred feet or more.

  She spiraled down. The denser she made herself, the faster she dropped.

  Lou landed on the gravel rooftop and crouched. As far as she could tell, she hadn’t been spotted. She jogged over to the large trapdoor situated close to the side of the roof.

  She grabbed the handle and tugged at it. Nothing.

  She better braced her feet and then tried again. The stubborn door refused to open.

  Lou thought for a second and bonked herself in the head with her palm for her stupidity. She was a ghost. She could slip right through walls and trapdoors.

  She concentrated, picturing herself as molecules and asking each to distance themselves from the rest. Her ghost form faded almost to where she could barely see herself. She wasn’t completely invisible, but fairly close. She wondered briefly why Hugo had never gone this far, but quickly realized it was getting hard to think. The longer she stayed this immaterial, the more her mind wandered.

  She hopped and plunged through the door into a corridor lit by blue magic lanterns affixed to the wall at regular intervals.

  Lou made herself more solid and tested her degree of success by stomping each foot. Both sank into the ground by a few inches. On the third go, her foot didn’t slip into the floor, so she considered herself at a ghostly equilibrium. She laughed. Probably the exact wording Nelson would use to describe her state.