by Eric Vall
Deya furrowed her brows. “But that will take days. Can you spare him that long?”
“No,” I replied as my heart rate steadily increased. “Deya, where do these come from?”
“The lands south of Nalnora,” she replied. “They shouldn’t be here. Mason, you have to get them far from here before they can cause any damage.”
“Godsdamnit,” I cursed. “Shoshanne, get the darts ready, and I’ll find Big Guy. Cayla, there’s a black horse in the stables named Whiskey. Ride him like hell to the Oculus and order Big Red to get here and take over the patrols. The repairs are still underway there anyways.”
“Yes, Mason,” Cayla replied, and she turned to run down the lane toward the stables as Shoshanne began shakily lacing the darts with a fresh dose of tranquilizer.
Then I sparked my Terra powers and scanned the perimeter of Falmount, and I found Big Guy just rounding the southern foothills on his way east of the village. So, I sparked my metal magic instead and focused on sending it outward across the town, and in a few minutes, I felt my powers fuse with Big Guy’s treads. Then I turned him around to bring him back to the western woods, and I could sense him already following my directions and gaining speed.
Deya stood trembling anxiously as she looked down on the three Osulla, and Shoshanne knelt to check the eyes of the beasts next. When she peeled one of their black eyelids open, she revealed a fiery ember eye with a golden pupil, and after assessing each one, she sent me a nod of relief.
“They’re thoroughly sedated,” the healer assured me, “but they won’t stay like this all the way to the south of Nalnora.”
“We’ll give the darts to Big Guy,” I decided as I sensed the automaton already heading down the lane. “Deya, what should he be looking for? How far south does he have to go?”
“The jungles begin to disperse into moorlands about forty leagues south of House Quyn,” the elf explained. “Past the moors, the land becomes barren, and it’s covered in smoky geysers. The Osulla live there in the smoke lands.”
“That’ll take forever to reach,” I muttered as Big Guy whirred to a stop at my back, and I quickly gestured to the giant cats. “Big Guy, I need you to take these three Osulla south of Nalnora. Travel as fast as you possibly can and avoid all cities and villages along the way. You’re looking for smoky geysers and barren lands beyond the moors. Probably about sixty leagues beyond the jungles. Drop them there and come straight back, understood?”
Big Guy’s indigo gem burned brighter at the command, and he nodded once before approaching the bodies on the ground. Then he heaved one of the Osulla up to hoist it over his giant shoulder, and the cat draped limply without waking up. Once he had all three piled on his limbs, I placed the six darts in his fist, and he closed his fingers around them.
“If they begin to stir at all, give them a single dart to the leg,” I ordered. “Don’t let any of them regain full consciousness, and no matter what happens, don’t lose one.”
Big Guy nodded once more, and then he promptly turned his treads toward the woods in the south. I tracked his progress for a bit and could sense him gathering speed once he left the foothills, and when he reached flatter lands, he turned directly southeast and gunned it to top speed.
“I hope six darts will be enough,” Shoshanne worried as she came to my side, and I looked over at the two pale women who were still trembling as they stared into the woods where Big Guy had disappeared.
“Maybe we should keep this one to ourselves, too,” I muttered, and both women nodded in agreement.
“Mason, I don’t understand what they were doing here,” Deya said with a frown. “The Osulla rarely travel as far north as the Nalnoran border, let alone beyond the jungles.”
“Apparently, the Master’s located their whereabouts,” I told her. “The snatcher brought them from the eastern foothills.”
“Gods, if he hadn’t captured them … ” Shoshanne whimpered.
“But he did, so we can all relax a little, right?” I pointed out.
“What if he has more at the fortress, though?” the healer asked.
“I hope he does not,” Deya growled, and I was surprised at the immediate fury I heard in her voice. “The Osulla are incredibly rare. They should be left to their own lands in the far south, not captured and unleashed on the rest of the world. They’re magical beings that have been around for thousands of years. They should be respected.”
“They’ll be back where they belong soon enough,” I assured the elf as I pulled her under my arm, and she nodded tensely as she continued to scowl.
“Thank you for not killing them,” Deya said softly. “You’re a good man.”
“You should thank him for not letting Cayla skin them,” Shoshanne mumbled, and the elf’s violet eyes went wide.
“She was just … enamored,” I told Deya. “She wouldn’t have really done it. I think.”
Deya shook her head. “One would have been enough to burn half of Illaria. Why would he take three?”
“I don’t know, but it’s a good thing we’ve got Ignis Mages around,” I sighed.
Deya furrowed her pink brows. “I’m not certain that would be enough. The Osulla’s flames are enchanted. They’re a different form of magic. Would magery be able to counter it?”
Shoshanne and I looked at one another, but neither of us had an answer for her, and the sound of voices coming down the lane distracted our attention away from the woods ahead of us.
When we turned, I saw the six healers from the Oculus approaching, and Mage Hellia sent us a reserved nod in greeting.
“Defender Flynt,” the woman said as we joined her and the healers beside the infirmary. “I apologize for the delay.”
“Oh, it’s not a problem,” I assured the woman, and Shoshanne forced a casual smile. “Perfect timing, actually. This is Mage Shoshanne, she’s the head of our infirmary here in Falmount. She’ll be overseeing your work and instructing you on the proper procedures and protocols.”
Shoshanne blushed at the introduction, but I just sent her a broad grin as the other mages nodded respectfully to her.
“Hi,” she managed with a nervous laugh. “So … right this way.”
Deya giggled as we watched Shoshanne lead the other healers toward the infirmary, and she sent us an uneasy glance over her shoulder before they all headed into the operating room.
“I hope they don’t object to the chains,” Deya whispered.
“They’ll be fine,” I said with a shrug. “At least there’s no enormous hellcats with uncontainable fire magic laying around anymore.”
“Yes, that would be embarrassing,” the elf giggled, and I dropped my arm around her shoulders as we headed for the house. “I love living with you. It’s never boring here.”
“That’s a really good way to look at things,” I chuckled. “How did your transmuting go?”
Deya sent me a mischievous smile that made her violet eyes gleam. “I ate another griffin!”
I could only sigh as the elf trotted into the house ahead of me, and I found her already sitting on my worktable with her legs crossed as she dug through the new hoard of diamonds.
“I tested the yellow scale this time, from the dragon that breathes poisonous gas,” the elf informed me. “They don’t fly as fast as the others, but they’re fierce for direct combat. They move more quickly on their feet than I expected.”
“Which is your favorite so far?” I asked as I shifted her ass a bit so I could get a look at my sketch again. Then I sparked my metal magic to finish melding together the steel plates of the new automaton’s right forearm.
“The green one,” Deya said with a grin. “Or the purple. I can’t decide. I still have to try the red and blue scales, and I wish we had been able to get a black one, because the female whose mate you killed is becoming an alpha at Mors Pass. The other dragons seem to fear her the most.”
“You can tell how they feel about each other?”
“I’m starting to understand their body
language,” she explained, and I nodded as I moved on to forming a simple hinge joint for the elbow. “Being a drake is less fun because of this. I think it’s the way their bodies slither side to side, which is usually a threatening maneuver amongst the dragons. That’s why they attack them so readily, but I’m finding it helps with speed. The drakes that don’t wriggle as much are slower.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I muttered, and I started molding more steel plates to complete the upper arm. “How fast are those Osulla supposed to be?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I can’t believe we had three sitting right in Falmount just now. It makes me tremble just to think of it.”
I realized Deya’s hands really were trembling lightly, and I furrowed my brow as I secured the upper arm to the elbow joint. Then I began on a ball and socket for the shoulder.
“How does their magic work exactly?” I asked the elf. “You said it wasn’t the same as magery.”
“Through their claws and horns,” Deya explained. “They don’t cause damage if their claws are retracted, but if they extend them, flames ignite with every strike against the ground. Osulla create a trail of fire when they run this way, and the flames burn faster than any regular flame. They can ram their attacker with their horns, too, and the same enchanted flames are instilled inside. Their running and climbing causes the most damage, though.”
“With the Master controlling three, he could have coordinated an attack to burn all of Illaria within a day,” I mused as I began replicating the arm to form the other, and Deya sent me a worried nod. “What else is south of Nalnora?”
“All kinds of creatures,” she said with a shrug. “Dragir says there’s creatures there that no elves have ever seen before, and since the lands are not part of any nation, other beasts come and go as they please. The Wraith Witches are said to have been born in the smoke lands, but I don’t know if it’s true or not.”
“Then the Master’s been travelling.” Just the thought of him setting his sights on capturing the strange creatures that lived outside the bounds of the nations made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “He could have sent some of his mages to brand the creatures, but if they’re as dangerous as you say, there’s a good chance he handled the job himself. Plus, he’d have to have a few impressive tricks in his bag to transport them all back to the fortress undetected.”
“Then he crossed Nalnora recently,” Deya said, and she paled at the thought. “Right near House Quyn.”
“I’m sure your House is alright,” I told her gently, but I was honestly feeling pretty uneasy about the possibility now. Last time the Master visited Nalnora, three Houses fell in only a few days. “Dragir keeps a close eye on the jungles, and your dogs are constantly patrolling, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” Deya allowed. “I suppose you’re right, but Dragir planned to move to the caves on the coast when we left. If he’s not at House Quyn, something could go undetected.”
“If it’d make you feel better, you could check for yourself,” I pointed out. “Fly south next time you’re transmuting.”
“You wouldn’t worry too much?”
“As long as you take a western route,” I told the elf. “Don’t fly anywhere near the coast or House Orrel, and don’t linger in the jungle for too long. Just check to be sure everything looks alright, and then fly back along the western border.”
Deya shifted the chest of diamonds aside. “Can I go right now? I won’t be able to stop worrying if I don’t.”
I nodded as I finished the last few details on the automaton’s arm, and the beautiful elf promptly hopped down from the table. I could tell she was still trembling when she clutched my shirt to pull me over for a quick kiss, and her pink brows were knitted with concern as she headed for the next room to gather her scales.
Once Deya was gone, I finally stopped working long enough to really consider the full weight of what the Master might have been up to in the south, and there was no avoiding the obvious. The mages I’d recaptured had already confirmed these witches were working with the Master, and if the Osulla showed up outside of Serin, he’d definitely been raiding the smoke lands to pack his arsenal with things I couldn’t even imagine.
And if I couldn’t imagine them, I couldn’t prepare to counter them.
“Shit,” I cursed under my breath, but I tried to focus on what I could counter at the moment. The Osulla were headed back to where they belonged, and I still had the ogres on my side so long as I ensured their safety in the west.
Still, having more automatons on hand was beginning to sound like a good idea, and if I had more snatchers, I could potentially undo the damage already done from the Master’s little field trip to the south. Fireball runes would only get us so far, though, and I decided I’d tackle the lightning rune as soon as the automaton for Jagruel was finished. It only needed a little tweaking to rein in the power by a few degrees, and whatever else lived in the smoke lands, I doubted they’d be immune to a jolt of lightning being embedded into them from a 1911.
So, I took a steadying breath as I sparked my metal magic and began forming the giant torso of the automaton, and I left a gaping hole in the center for the central wiring hub and channeling gem. I tried to resist the urge to bother Deya every few seconds while I waited to find out if House Quyn had been attacked, but coming up with new ideas for automatons helped a lot.
Part of me wanted to form an entire army’s worth, and once I remembered Grot’s offer to let me have as many channeling gems as I wanted, the idea suddenly became more appealing. I was halfway through a mental design of an automaton wielding tungsten axes as big as a horse when I heard Big Red’s treads whirring through the foothills, and I immediately abandoned the copper spool of twelve gauge wire I’d been working on.
It was close to dusk now, and the ominous red glow of Big Red’s channeling gem slowly passed over the houses of Falmount as he made his way to the western woods. I could hear a few mages who’d been caught off guard as they shrieked and scuttled away, and when Big Red came to a stop in front of me, a chill ran up my spine at the sight of his unwavering and blood red stare.
“Is Cayla alright?” I asked the automaton, and he nodded once. “Good. I need you to help us out here for a while. Your brother’s on a solo mission. As you know, I’ve had Big Guy running our patrols in Falmount, and you’re standing in for him since the Oculus is under repairs.”
Big Red’s gem beat steady and slow in response.
“Cool,” I said with a nod. “So, Big Guy’s duties are to protect any mage who needs help, and to pursue any enemies who might be lingering around the perimeter of the village. He usually starts his patrol heading south. Then he circles toward the east and completes a full round before doubling his path in the western woods since it’s our most vulnerable spot. Sound good?”
Big Red nodded once, and I grinned.
“Awesome,” I replied, “and thank you for getting here so quickly. I really appreciate the dedication, buddy. It’s gonna be cool having you around for a few days.”
I stepped aside for him and gestured to the western woods, but when Big Red raised a fist my way first, I chuckled and knocked my knuckles against his. Then he dutifully whirred his way past the infirmary, and I stood there grinning with my hands on my hips like a dad at a high school football game.
Until he deliberately turned north instead of south, anyways.
“Seriously?” I sighed, and I shook my head as Big Red’s glow continued steadily making its way in the exact opposite direction of Big Guy. “Fucking brothers, man.”
I didn’t have time to mull around in disappointment, though, because I could already hear Deya’s skirts rustling as she headed for the atrium, and I jogged back to the house to find my beautiful elf sitting in a blank state on the edge of the fountain.
“How’d it go?” I asked as I quickly closed the gap between us, and I knelt in front of her to rub her arms since they were covered in goosebumps. “Is everything alright
?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded. “Okay … did you see anything suspicious?”
“No.”
Now, I cocked a brow and straightened up a bit. “Are you still Deya?”
“Uh-huh,” the elf replied, and she forced a smile. “Just … it was fine. All fine. Nothing important. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Because you seem kind of--”
“I saw my brother having sex, and I can’t unsee it,” Deya blurted out, and my brows shot up.
“Oh! That’s … shit,” I managed.
“Yeahhh,” she sang, and her voice went up several uncomfortable octaves. “I think it was with Rhys’ wife, too, so … there’s that.”
“With Aliasa?” I chuckled. “Damn! Dragir, you dog.”
Deya furrowed her brows, though, and I immediately sobered as best as I could.
“I mean damn, what a dog. That’s … rude.”
“Let’s just move on,” Deya suggested.
I nodded. “Definitely. House Quyn is alright, though?”
“Yeah, it’s glowing with some sort of light that Dragir must have come up with,” she replied, “and the patrol is double what it used to be in the surrounding jungles, but I suppose they must be okay if … well. Anyway.”
“Yeah, they’re fine,” I chuckled. “Are you really okay?”
“Absolutely,” Deya said in the same oddly high voice. “I’m going to sit in this water now and try to forget everything I’ve seen.”
I was about to respond when the beautiful elf abruptly turned herself around on the edge of the fountain, and she dropped fully clothed into the enchanted water until she was completely submerged. Bubbles billowed up as I stared down at her face beneath the surface, and I decided she probably needed a moment.
“Fair enough,” I muttered, and I turned back to the worktable as a merry chuckle slipped from my lips.
At least Dragir was having a jolly old time these days, and the thought of Rhys waiting at home for his genuinely smoking hot wife to finish banging his friend was just the upper I needed at the moment.
