Eye of the Wizard: A Fantasy Adventure (27 page)

"I have to find Scruff and Cobweb," he said, rising to his feet. "I'm going to look for them."

"I'm coming with you." Romy leaped to her feet, baring her fangs.

Neev shook his head. "No, Romy. You stay and guard Jamie. She's hurt and needs you."

Romy rushed around the bed and hugged Neev, a bear hug that squeezed the air out of him. She sobbed against his shoulder. "I'm scared for you, Neev. You'll be alone out there. What if Dry Bones comes after you? Please, Neev, don't leave me. I love you." She raised her head and kissed his lips.

For hours, Neev had felt cold. Her kiss sent fire through him, and he had never felt more hot. Her kiss was like a jolt of whiskey, shooting across his body, tingling his fingertips. He touched Romy's hair. It was made of flames, but did not burn him. He kissed a tear off her cheek.

"Goodbye, Romy. I'll come back soon. I promise you. I promise."

He left her trembling and crying in the room.

Outside it was still raining, and Neev hurried down the street, his cloak wrapped around him, his hood over his head. It was still dark, but soon dawn would break, he knew. He had no idea where Scruff and Cobweb might be, but decided to leave Queenpool, to head north along the road they had taken. Maybe he should have sent Romy on this quest—she was the better tracker—but he would have gone crazy just waiting at the inn. He had to do something... anything.

Soon he had left Queenpool again, and was walking north along the road, heading the way Scruff and Cobweb had gone. What had happened to them? Had they met Dry Bones too? Had he killed them? The road was black around him, and Neev risked using a little magic, lighting a small fire in his palm. It was too small a spell to trigger his jinx, but that couldn't cheer him up. Every ounce of magic he used weakened his reserves, and every footstep put him in more danger.

We're in trouble,
he thought, cursing. Together the Bullies were strong. Now they were split up, in more danger than ever. Scruff and Cobweb were tough, but they had no magic, and would not fare well against Dry Bones. Neev himself was alone, his reserves of magic quickly depleting. Jamie was wounded, with only Romy—who was a child at heart—to guard her.
We're all so vulnerable now.

Lightning struck a tree before him, and Neev jumped, his heart racing. He breathed out shakily and kept walking. It reminded him of the black lightning Dry Bones had tossed to hurt Jamie's leg, the lightning he killed Father with. Was Dry Bones lurking in these trees, surrounded by grobblers?

Dry Bones, perhaps the most powerful warlock in the world, wanted him dead, and had managed to split up their group.
Things are bad,
Neev thought, slushing through the mud.
Things are very bad.

Chapter Nineteen

Round Two

Jamie hated being wounded and weak.

Hated it.

Hated
it.

All her life, she had relied on her speed and strength. She did not think herself particularly clever, nor particularly pretty, nor particularly pious. All she'd ever been good at was swordplay. When she held a blade, she was happy, powerful, doing what she was born to do.

And now she lay abed, her leg bandaged, the fight taken out of her.

Propped up in bed, she looked out the window. The sunlight sparkled on a soggy world. It had stopped raining several hours ago, the crisp air smelled of wet soil and rainwater, and birds chirped throughout the city. On any other day, Jamie might have thought the day beautiful. But not today. Today fear coiled inside her.

Neev had been gone for hours. When would he return? Worry gnawed at Jamie. Neev was smarter than her, but he was not very good in a fight, and Jamie was used to protecting him. Scruff was strong, but sometimes dense and innocent; Jamie often had to look after him, too. Now both brothers were away, separated, in danger. It was the first time all three Thistles were apart.

And perhaps worst of all, Romy was annoying the hell out of her.

"I'm
bored
!" Romy whined at her bedside. "Let's play cards."

"I told you, no! You always cheat."

Romy pouted. "I won't cheat this time, I
promise
."

Jamie tossed the cards at her. "You always promise, then you cheat again."

Romy looked at the fallen cards, dejected. "Well, I'm a demon... that's what we do, cheat at cards. I can't help it."

"So I'm not playing with you."

"But I'm
bored
."

Jamie turned in bed, facing the other way. "Go take a walk."

"No way," Romy said. "I have to stay and watch over you." To emphasize her point, she walked around the bed until she was facing Jamie again, then sat down and stared.

"You're driving me crazy," Jamie yelled, "not watching over me."

"I'll defend you from Dry Bones if he shows up." Romy straightened, puffed out her chest, and bared her fangs.

Jamie grumbled. "I'm not a damsel in distress. I don't need anyone to defend me, least of all you."

Romy pouted. "You do too. I'm your defender."

"You are not!"

Romy struck a heroic pose. "You might even say, I'm your heroine. Romy, defender of the weak and helpless!"

"Now you're just asking for it." Jamie grabbed the closest thing she could reach—a wooden bowl of porridge—and tossed it at Romy. The demon ducked, and the porridge flew over her head.

Just then the door opened, and a grobbler burst into the room.

The porridge landed on the creature, and it cried out in rage, blinded.

"I told you!" Jamie said, pulled a knife from under her pillow, and tossed it into the grobbler's neck. "I don't need anyone to watch over me!"

The grobbler hit the ground, knife in its throat, legs kicking.

"Wait till you see the others!" Romy said, glancing downstairs, panting. "Five more, rushing upstairs."

The inn shook with grobbler screeches, and the smell of blood filled the air.

* * * * *

Strangely, no fear filled Romy.

She had spent so many days with her fear, trembling in the rain, shivering at nights, so confused in this strange world overground. Used to the cozy, flaming underground, she found Earth the most frightening experience of her life. Earth, it seemed, was full of insane skeleton warlocks, roaming grobblers, and all sorts of horrible, horrible birds on every tree. Since Neev had summoned her from Hell, she had felt fear more often than not.

But now, with Jamie abed, with grobblers rushing upstairs to her room, Romy felt no fear.

She didn't have time for fear. Until now, she had let the responsible Bullies take care of things—Scruff with his mace, Cobweb with her arrows, Neev with his magic, Jamie with her blade. But now Jamie was hurt, and the others gone; it was all up to her, so Romy did not allow herself any fear. She merely snarled, baring her fangs, and shoved the fear down.
I'll have to take care of this myself.

The grobblers clanking upstairs, Romy grabbed Jamie and tossed her over her shoulder.

"Hey, put me down!" Jamie demanded. "I'll take them on one foot."

"Not today," Romy said and burst out the window, flapping her wings. "I promised your brother I'd look after you, and that's what I'll do."

"I don't need looking after. PUT ME DOWN!"

Romy flew over the city, leaving the tavern behind. Her heart hammered, and Jamie felt heavy across her shoulder, and the girl's fingers dug into her. Romy was used to flying through the caverns of Hell, and the sight of so many human houses below spun her head. The wind whipped her face, and Jamie was screaming. Flapping her wings with all her might, Romy saw grobblers racing below, tossing fireballs from their palms.

Damn!
Romy thought. These were no usual grobblers. Dry Bones must have taught them magic. One fireball flew so close to them, Romy felt the heat against her. The fireball's tail of sparks sizzled against them, and Romy heard Jamie scream.

"You okay, Jamie?" Romy asked.

"Put me down!" The girl was kicking.

"I'm going to have to, soon. You weigh more than a bloody rhinoceros. I think you've gained even more weight from yesterday."

Another fireball came flying their way, and Romy flew sideways, narrowly missing it. The fireball made a sound like a storm, so loud Romy thought it would deafen her. She glanced over her shoulder. The grobblers were far now, running through the streets, and soon Romy flew out of Queenpool and saw trees below.

"I think we shook them off," she said to Jamie, panting. It was hard work, flying so fast, carrying Jamie, dodging fireballs. She had no strength left. "We're going down."

She began to descend into the forest. Romy was too tired and dizzy for a proper landing. She crashed through the forest canopy, then hit the ground, scraping her knees.

"Ouch," she said and placed Jamie down. She stretched and rubbed her muscles.

"Ouch indeed," Jamie said. "You put me down on some rocks, you nitwit."

Romy looked at Jamie, chewing her lip. The girl's face was pale and sweaty. She needed rest and convalescing; fleeing into the forest could not be good for the mortal. In the Rose's Thorn, they had found shelter and could have recuperated. More importantly, Neev knew to find them in the inn. What if Neev returned, Scruff and Cobweb in tow, and met the grobblers?

Romy shook her head. At the beginning, this adventure was carefree, even fun at times, but now things were so horrible. Nobody was around to protect her now—no brutish Scruff with his mace, no Neev with his magic, no Cobweb with her arrows, and even Jamie's blade was out of commission until the girl healed. What would Romy do? She had never been on an adventure until now. Back in Hell, she had spent two centuries torturing sinners, and that was all she knew. How would she survive in this world?

"I don't know what to do," she said to Jamie, voice trembling. The fear had vanished when it was time to act, when the adrenaline had flooded her, but now it returned full force. She felt tears gather in her eyes. "What will we do, Jamie?"

Jamie snorted so loudly, her breath blew back strands of her hair. "Are we going to have a weepy moment here, where we cry and hug, and tell each other it'll be all right? Come on, Romy. You're a demon, for Pete's sake. Try being a little more fierce, a little less weepy. What will we do? We're going to find the other Bullies, that's what. We need to be together now, and we certainly don't want them returning to that inn. So let's track them."

Romy squared her shoulders and wiped her tears with her fists. "How will we find them?"

Jamie sat up, leaning on her elbows, and winced when she moved her wounded leg off some rocks. "Scruff and Cobweb were heading north, and I bet Neev did, too. Let's follow and see if you can pick up the scent."

Romy moaned. "Am I going to have to carry you again? My arms hurt, my wings hurt, and my brain hurts." She was suddenly embarrassed by showing her tears. "I might be weepy, but I'm not the one who got wounded in a fight." It was a mean thing to say, she knew; but hey, she was a demon, she was supposed to be mean.

Jamie's face flushed. "Well, I might have gotten wounded that day, but I broke three of Dry Bones' bones, and you only snapped two."

"I broke three too," Romy lied.

"You liar."

"Not lying." Romy felt it best to change the subject. "When I was flying, I saw a nearby farm. Let's go buy you a wheelbarrow. Then I can wheel you around."

Jamie's face got even redder, and she curled her hands into fists. "I won't be wheeled around like a sack of turnips."

"Well, I'm not carrying you, and you'd use up too much energy limping around. Now I'm going to help you walk a bit, just until we find a wheelbarrow."

Romy helped Jamie to her feet, the girl wincing and cursing. Jamie slung her arms around Romy's neck, and together they walked slowly, Romy grunting, Jamie hopping on her good leg. They moved through the forest, glancing around for grobblers, until they reached the farm Romy had descried from the air. A few wheelbarrows stood in fields of oats, full of sheaves. Sparrows stood atop the wheelbarrows, but Romy forced herself onward, trying to ignore the monstrous birds.

The farmer was plowing the fields with his daughters. Romy paid him a silver coin—their last one—for a wheelbarrow. She helped Jamie sit inside the wheelbarrow, then began to wheel her across the farm. The wheelbarrow creaked and bumped, its wheel rusty and wobbly. The sparrows watched them as if shocked, and Romy supposed they made a comical sight. She had to laugh out loud. Jamie raised an eyebrow, but it felt good to laugh.

Maybe things will be okay,
she thought.
Maybe I can take care of things. I fled the grobblers, I found a wheelbarrow for Jamie, I'm taking charge. And even the sun is shining today.

Soon Romy wheeled Jamie out of the farm, the wheelbarrow wobbling and creaking like an old man, and Romy found the road through the forest, the road Scruff and Cobweb had taken, the road Neev now followed.
I'm going to find them,
Romy told herself.
Soon we'll be together and safe.

"Is it really wise to take the main road?" Jamie asked as they went along. With every pebble, the wheelbarrow bumped, making her curse. "With all these grobblers about, I wonder if we should travel between the trees."

Romy shook her head. "The wheelbarrow won't roll there, and I might not detect Neev's scent." Romy had to stop every few steps, get on all fours, and sniff the ground like a hound.

Jamie sighed. "This is going to take a while."

They kept moving down the road until evening fell, and Romy shivered. Shadows moved between the trees, the branches creaked, and clouds covered the stars. Monsters might lurk in the dark, and whenever an owl hooted, Romy started.

Once more, she was afraid.

* * * * *

Scruff sat alone in the dungeon, chained to the wall, despair like ice in his belly. He blinked to fight back tears, but one escaped his eye anyway, and he tasted it on his lips. He had not felt such grief since Burrfield burned five years ago.