Lost Lands: The Game - Atlantis (10 page)

Gamble
grinned. “Nothing like a little pressure to calm the nerves.”

Replacing his helmet, Cozad took two steps out from the
rocks and waited. From the position of the twin suns, he guessed they had less than an hour before dark and he figured the mob would work up their courage long before then. He was right. When the mob came it was almost exactly as he predicted. The guards were sprinkled in throughout the crowd to bolster the mob’s courage, while the townsfolk kept chanting, “Death to all Atlanteans!” over and over. A few bows were present but the mob wasn’t going to rely on arrows or finesse, this was going to be a mad rush forward meant to completely overwhelm them and Cozad knew it. Using the butt of his axe, the Dreadknight drew a line in the dirt before backing up to the boulders and waiting. The mob got closer and closer, then paused about ten feet short of the line. Keeping his voice low Cozad said, “Get ready.”

Hefting his axe into battle position, he yelled. “All right you
bastards! Come and get me! You want me? Cross that line and die!”

The mob almost faltered. They weren’t expecting someone to stand up to them and didn’t know how to act. That was until one of the young guards screamed and charged. A split second later, the rest of the mob followed suit.

Pixi couldn’t believe her eyes. Here was a full fledge mob on a rampage like those she had seen on the ‘telly’ back home, kind of like the riots in Egypt or Libya. She had read about other riots in school but had never expected to see one or worse be the object of one. Feeling her fear grow, Pixi glanced at her friend Moira. She was extremely pale and seemed completely lifeless. Gamble was poised to dig the arrow out of her shoulder and was just waiting for the right time. Pulling herself out of her fear, Pixi began her spell but held off on the last phrase. Once the forerunners crossed the line, she would cast her spell and damn those that were caught in the conflagration.

For
Arieal the attack was different. Once danger loomed, her fear fell away. To her it was simple, live or die. She and her friends were going to live, even if the rest had to die. Seeing a few townsfolk break off from the pack and try to flank them, she pulled out some bat dung from one of her pouches. She tossed it at the onrushing mob and waved her wand. Seconds later, a flight of bats spewed forth from her wand to engulf the villagers.

As soon as
Gamble saw the villagers begin their charge, he dug his dagger into Moira’s skin around the arrow. It was messy but he knew it had to be done. One part of his mind heard the charging mob and wanted to run away. It was the natural ‘flight or fight’ response built into every human. But he had an injured companion relying on him and he had a job to do. No matter what the cost, he was going to do his best. So, he poked and prodded with his dagger until out came the odious arrow.

Cozad’s and Pixi’s spells went off almost simultaneously. The young
faerie had timed her spell perfectly and allowed seven villagers past the line. The rest were caught in the inferno. The smell of burning flesh and the scream of the dying filled the area.

The wave of heat behind them and the screams of death caused the charging
villagers to waver.

However w
hen the leading four villagers just dried up into lifeless husks right before their eyes, they halted. Eyes wide with fear the three remaining looked around for a means to escape. That’s about the time they heard the screeches of the returning wyverns and they bolted. The mob wasn’t fleeing; it was a full-fledged rout. They dropped whatever they were carrying and ran as fast as they could back to their homes. If a buddy fell, they didn’t care, they didn’t help…they just ran.

Cozad glimpsed back at Moira. Her color had returned and the arrow was out. His
wager had worked. But now, the wyvern-riders were returning and he was unsure how to handle them. They couldn’t out run them, which left only one option. Hefting his axe, Cozad strode out to meet them on the field of battle.

Tao,
Bjǿrn and Mathias circled the battlefield once. It was obvious from Cozad’s body language that he wasn’t expecting them but the raiders. The look of surprise on their faces when they landed was priceless. Bjǿrn’s red wyvern had barely landed when he leapt off and rushed to Moira’s side.

Cozad and Tao met each other on the battlefield
but it was the dreadknight who spoke first. “I see you have a story to tell.”

Tao gestured to the burned bodies
. “I see that you have your own story. Both can wait, how’s Moira?”

Cozad turned back to the rocks and Tao fell in beside him. “She
’ll live. The arrow is out and the wound is healing but she’s weak and needs rest.”

“I think w
e all do.” Seeing Gamble approaching Tao grinned. “Heya mate. How’s it going?”

“Not bad. We’re alive thanks to Tinman here.”

Cozad chuckled. “Tinman?”

Gamble
rapped his knuckles on the dreadknight’s plate armor. “You know, from the Wizard of Oz? It’s a pretty famous movie, perhaps you’ve heard of it?”

Cozad
chuckled. “Yes. I‘ve seen it. I was just finding the humor in your nickname for me. I’ve been called that before, in real life.”

“Really? Why?”

Cozad pulled off his helmet and pointed to his head. “I have a metal plate in my skull from a motorcycle wreck when I was a teenager which left a large scar right here. One of my friends back home started calling me Tinman and the name stuck.”

“Works for me,”
Gamble answered with a sly grin.

Tao knelt down in the dirt and pulled out the maps he had liberated. Cozad and
Gamble joined him. Tao pointed to an ‘X’ on the map that was marked ‘Camp Five’ and said, “That looks like the closest campground for these raiders.”

Gamble
asked, “How do we know there aren’t more of them waiting there?”

Tao shrugged. “We don’t but it looks like our best option. Unless you want to camp here tonight?”

“No thank you.” The dwarf nodded his head towards the village. “I’ve had enough of their hospitality.”

“Alright, then lets mount up.”

Leading his friends over to the waiting wyverns, Tao went through his spiel concerning riding once more. Bjǿrn and Mathias added their two cents about liftoff and settled back on their flying steeds. As much as Bjǿrn wanted Moira to ride with him, they were uncertain if the red could carry both of them, so she rode with Gamble on the other green. Arieal climbed on behind Mathias, which left Cozad on the last wyvern which Tao described as a ‘buckskin’ since the wyvern’s hide was a light grayish-white with black etchings along its wings and eye ridges.

Even though Pixi could fly,
Tao knew the wyverns would fly much faster than the faerie so he insisted that she ride with him and had her sit in front of him on the saddle. “Hold on tight, real tight. Takeoff is like the downhill ride on a rollercoaster except we’re going up. Understand?”

Pixi gripped the saddle pommel even tighter
. “Yeppers. I’m ready.”

Un
able to resist himself, Tao kicked Shadow in the flanks and called out once more, “Giddy up!”

The great grey serpent leapt into the air with a loud screech. The other four wyverns of his
flight followed and the companions were airborne.

Chapter 12

The two guards who had the late watch crowded near the fire pit to warm their hands. It wasn’t necessarily cold but the warmth of the fire gave them something to do. Neither guard was happy about being stuck on the graveyard shift and grumbled about their bad luck.

Of course, it’s a soldier’s lot to complain. To a soldier, there is never enough food or sleep or liquor or women or any number of other complaints. But being stuck with gate duty during the overnight hours on a fortress in the middle of nowhere was the worst
or so they thought, until their commander appeared at the gate unannounced.

Jerrick snapped to attention
and quickly assessed the condition of his armor and spear. They weren’t perfect but far better than his partner’s. As his commander strode through the gate, Jerrick surreptitiously scrutinized the dangerous Outlander.

In reality, h
e wasn’t much taller than the two guards but he seemed so much more imposing than his size. His ever present arm and shoulder guard on his left side seemed to accent his broad-shoulders. Of course, he never wore any armor other a wide belt and a leather loincloth. Then, there was the matter of his flaming bronze trident and his quick temper; both had caused his commander to become legendary over the last year. When his commander stopped in front of him, Jerrick swallowed deeply.

“Any word from Adok?”

Surprised at being singled out, the young guard stammered his answer. “No…no sir, there has been no word or at least nothing was passed on to us.” His partner nodded in agreement.

Jagoda
moved over to the cliff edge and looked down. It was over five-hundred feet to the valley floor and there was no way he could see the lands below but he looked anyway. It had become a habit. Of course, anyone on foot would have to brave the winding mountain trail leading to the fortress and no one could do that safely at night without some form of light. Taking a deep breath, the warrior turned back to the fortress. “Keep a close eye out and have someone alert me the moment Adok returns.”

“Yes sir.” Jerrick nodded and returned to his duties.

Jagoda moved through his mountain fortress with a restlessness he’d never felt before. He paced the ramparts like a caged lion before a meal. It was nerve wracking. He didn’t know why or how but something was wrong or would be soon. Moving to his bedchambers, he found that his lover was still awake and deep in meditation.

Aaliyah
was a Sha’ir; which literately meant poet in Arabic. She was a type of wizard from the Burning Sands expansion of
Lost Lands
which could summon and control the ancient djinni. After being with her for nearly three years, he knew that her magic had its limits compared to other spellcasters but the ability to summon a djinn or an elemental to act as a servant outweighed any weaknesses. With their aid, Jagoda had become the master raider of Hyperborea.

E
ven though he had been able to tame the wyverns which inhabited the Crags, he knew that his winged serpents were no match for their larger cousins which the Atlanteans rode. That thought irritated Jagoda. He had not forgotten his vow of vengeance spoken nearly three years earlier. If anything, his vow spurred him forward and he would not rest until Argos was avenged.

Aaliyah
opened her eyes as he entered. “You are troubled.”

Jagoda
gazed at her perfect body. Even after all this time, she took his breath away. One part of his mind knew that there had to be Freudian explanation to his attraction to her since she looked so similar to Barbara Eden’s character from the TV series
‘I Dream of Jeanie’
that she could be her twin. Beyond that Jagoda knew she had a gentle soul and that was what had truly captivated him. Crossing the twenty feet between them, he wrapped her in his arms. “It’s nothing. I just feel restless; nothing to concern yourself with.”

Leaning back,
Aaliyah looked up at her lover and frowned. “Anything that concerns you, concerns me. I will have one of my djinni look into it.” With a wave of her hand, her air spirit disappeared, off to do her bidding. Aaliyah gave her lover a playful tug and asked, “Now is there anything else I can do to relax my master’s body?”

“Now that you mention it, there is something you can do,”
Jagoda said with a grin and all of his worries disappeared into the night as he pulled the beautiful sorceress into his arms.

*   *   *   *   *

Kastle, Callistra and Tariq traveled throughout the evening. Callistra had summoned her customary steed, the Nightmare, while the other two rode conventional horses. Of course, the two normal horses were extremely skittish of the demon steed until the witch cast a simple enchantment on them and they immediately calmed down. Kastle lead them west along the northern edge of the Dark Forest until they reached the remnants of Roland’s pyre. It was naught but a smoldering heap but the priest insisted on stopping.

Tariq
hated to admit it but he felt a tightness in his gut at the sight but remained silent. Callistra just waited patiently, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to sway her friend from his current path. Kastle knelt by the pyre and prayed to the Thunder God for forgiveness for what he was about to do. After a moment, he stood and began rummaging through the ashes.

Tariq
slid off his horse and cocked his head to the side. “What are you doing?”

Kastle looked up from his
mission. The ashes had already marked up his face. “Simple. I want to see if the sword that the paladin received from Al Shaytan survived the fire. If so, it could be useful in the right hands or extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.”

“Why?”

Kastle turned back to his task while he explained. “The magic in the weapons are bound to our souls as Callistra demonstrated. But unbound, the magic could throw off the balance of this realm. These items are imbued with magic far greater than anything else in this land. Trust me on this.”

Callistra said, “What he says is true. I just didn’t voluntarily give up my wand. It was taken from me and
having to deal with its loss has not been a pretty picture.”

Tariq looked back towards the dazzling witch and a glimmer of understanding crept into his mind. There was much more to this story than what he knew but one thing for certain, the
katar he received from Al Shaytan was more important than he realized. Unconsciously, he placed his hand on its pommel and felt comforted by its touch.

“Found it!” exclaimed Kastle. As the cleric pulled
forth the silver blade it glowed with an inner white light which illuminated the area.

Callistra couldn’t help but shade her eyes
from the holy light. Her demonic steed tossed his head a few times and backed away. Pulling on the reins, the witch struggled for a moment to get her demonic steed under control before saying, “Kastle…would you mind? That hurts.”

“Oh
, sorry.” The priest tucked the holy sword under his cloak to block the divine light. Moving back to his horse, Kastle wrapped the blade with his sleeping blanket and tied it securely to his saddle. “Now let’s find Jagoda and Aaliyah.”

“Lead on. We have about three hours till sunrise.”

Tariq raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”

Callistra graced him with a
little smile. “After living with this condition for the last four years, I know when the sun will set or rise. I can feel it.”

Accepting her at her word, the assassin just nodded his head and fell in behind the holy man. He seemed to be the only level-headed one in this bunch and who might know of a way home. Tariq was planning on sticking real close to Kastle whether he wanted him to or not.