Shadows of Time: Shadow Maiden (10 page)

“Your war party appears to be victorious,”
said Luthen from the shadow of his dark hood, “with a minor
exception, of course.”

Chief Al’Rul growled deep in his chest. “We
have done all you’ve asked,
demon
. Our deal is done,” he
said, signaling for the war party to progress through the
portal.

“Ah, it would seem so, wouldn’t it? Except
that I had a very interesting encounter with an elf wandering the
eastern hall no so long ago,” said Luthen through gritted
teeth.

“The only elf I see,” said the Chief, sliding
his mace from his belt, “is the brat cowering at your side.”

Luthen laughed, draping his arm around the
girl. “This, here, is the queen. I believe we arranged for only me
to have access to
the queen
.” He spat the words at the
growling Phooka, growing tired of his stubbornness.

“The elf I speak of has taken the queen’s
sister. I would like to hire you to return her to me, if it’s not
too much trouble for the great Chief Al’Rul,” said Luthen, eager
for the Phooka to charge at him with his wicked mace.

“Ha! What will you pay us with this time?
Tapestries? Maybe some nice needlework?” The war party rumbled with
deep laughter.

Luthen’s hand shot out from his cloak and
found its way around the Phooka’s throat. The beast’s mace crashed
hard onto the stone floor, cracking the soft white surface. Luthen
lifted him from his feet and squeezed with his eager fingers.

“You will do this deed because you value your
life. Or at least you value not being killed like a coward. Either
way, doing this for me will produce a much more pleasant outcome
for both you and your war party,” said Luthen, lowering the Chief
to his feet. “Remember, there are things I could do to you that
even the darkness of your nightmares would fear.”

His fingers peeled back from the Phooka’s
neck. Chief Al’Rul crumpled to the floor, coughing and tearing at
his throat. Moments later he ceased and rose to his feet, batting
off the outstretched hands of his war party.

“We will do this last thing for you, and no
more,” he said, his voice raspy and venomous.

“Excellent,” said Luthen, smiling with his
new boyish face. “You are free to go.”

The Phooka snorted and pushed his way into
the portal. The rest of the war party gazed fearfully at Luthen and
quickly followed.

After the last had disappeared through the
rippling surface, Luthen looked down at the girl clutching at his
cloak. He stroked her soft pale cheek, tracing his finger to her
chin. He pulled her face to look into his. “Do you see how they
cower in my presence? If you stay with me, you will make them
tremble as well.” Her eyes glimmered as he spoke.

“Could I be powerful like you as well?” She
said. Her voice was soft and full of wonder.

“Of course, child. Together we will be
invincible.”

Luthen withdrew his hand and strode toward
the nearby window. He plucked the forgotten time charm from its
shelter under the low hanging window ledge. Gazing at it, he smiled
and tucked it into a hidden pocket of his cloak.

“Come, my dear,” he said, smiling warmly at
the girl, “you are now
queen
. And there is much to do.”

***

Amaeya hovered over Merrick, watching him as
he filled the large stove with broken chairs, yawning chests, and
fistfuls of kindling. The girl had stopped sobbing and watched him
just as intently.

“How much longer is this going to take?” Her
voice was hushed in the darkness of the war machine. A slave
stirred in silence, setting her on edge. Seeing no Phooka in sight,
most of the slaves had fled without a word. Only a few clung to
their chains, too hopeless to move.

“We’ll be ready soon. Are you sure all of the
wheels have been unlocked?” He piled a splintered table on the top
of the wooden heap slid a sparkling branch from his belt.

“Yes, of course. Are you sure you can drive
this thing?” It had taken a while for Merrick to figure out the
mechanics of the war machine. However, he had finally found at the
very front of the body of the machine was a small lookout with two
large iron levers mounted underneath. Amaeya was perplexed that the
hulking structure could be steered by only that.

Merrick nodded, reaching for the meager torch
she held in her hand. “Then we’re ready to be on our way.” He sat
the silvery branch gently in the stove. “Turn away!” Amaeya grabbed
the girl and whirled around away from the open furnace. A great
white flash erupted in the war machine. The slaves shrieked and
scurried away from the blinding light. Amaeya turned back around
and saw a large rumbling fire in the belly of the furnace. Merrick
slammed the door closed and rushed to the mounted levers. “You two
better find something steady to hold on to,” he said, gripping his
hands around the cold metal.

Amaeya grabbed onto a chain mounted to the
wall and wrapped it around both her and the girl. “Dear gods, I
hope this works,” she said, clutching the child close.

Merrick gently pushed the levers forward. The
war machine rumbled and roared to life. The massive wheels creaked
and rolled forward, rocking as it passed over the uneven ground.
The war machine crept from beneath the darkness of the city in the
sky. The craft quickly picked up speed as it rumbled across the
open meadow. Amaeya couldn’t help but laugh, feeling as if she had
somehow fell into a bedtime story. Such marvelous things never
happened to real people, let alone her.

“This is remarkable!” Merrick glanced over
his shoulder at her, his eyes shining. “Who knew the humans had
such technology within their grasp. The things I could do with this
back home,” said Merrick, his voice distant. He continued musing to
himself, totally engrossed by the beastly device guided by his
touch.

Amaeya simply sat in the darkness with the
girl curled up on her lap, enjoying every mile put between her and
Chief Al’Rul.

***

Chief Al’Rul was the first to behold the
slaughtered Phooka. In the early moments, he only stood, not
believing his eyes and thinking that perhaps it was a demon trick.
Only a fool would dare slaughter a Phooka in such a cowardly way.
As more of his war party splashed through the portal, they gathered
around their chief, unsure of what to think of the bloodied
corpses.

Fanger settled by the Chief’s side. “What do
you wish us to do?”

The Chief raised his snout into the air, his
lip curled in a snarl. “Burn them,” he said, “and be quick about
it.”

Fanger nodded and motioned for a couple
Phooka to follow him to where the corpses lay. Chief Al’Rul folded
his muscled arms across his chest. “As for the rest of you,” he
said, “be ready to leave as soon as they’ve finished.”

The Phooka scattered from behind him. The
Chief watched as the dead mercenaries were piled in the fire.
Fanger poured the remains of their dragon whiskey into the
flames.

As Chief Al’Rul gazed into the flames he felt
a small tug at his belt. Alarmed, he raised his stony fist, ready
to fight. The assaulting shadow scurried away with a yelp. Chief
Al’Rul recognized the cowering creature as its face caught in the
fire light.

“Maggot! You worm, what the hell are you
doing out here?” The Chief lifted the Phooka by the horns from the
ground and onto his feet.

“My lord, please! I must tell you something,
it’s important my lord!” He threw himself at the Chief’s feet, his
hands clawing at his face.

“Well out with it!” Chief Al’Rul kicked at
him, irritated at his very presence.

“The wizard! And Amaeya! I saw them, they
took the war machine! They—”

Chief Al’Rul yanked Maggot back up by his
horns. “—They what?
Why didn’t you stop them!
” The thought
of killing the squirming Phooka became more tempting than ever.

“My lord, I had to sneak away to tell you. I
saw the wizard kill these three warriors and I knew then I was no
match for him. They would have gotten away free of your wrath, my
lord!”

His nostrils flaring, Chief Al’Rul threw the
wretched Phooka into the black mud. Anger boiled behind his fierce
yellow eyes.

There was only one choice left. Chief Al’Rul
reached into a leather pouch hanging from his thick belt and felt
the cold bones against his fingertips. Whenever one of the seven
Phookan chiefs left the refuge of their forest home, the Oracle
would give them a gift to aid them when raids went sour. These
gifts were made from something older and darker than what most
called
magic
.

Chief Al’Rul poured the blackened knuckle
bones out into his hand. Each of the seven bones had a delicate
white horse painted on its side. He dropped one by one into the
mud, covering each with a swipe of muck from his heavy boot. Upon
touching the earth, the bones quivered and shook. By the time the
Chief had finished planting the bones into the ground several long
slender bones had sprouted from the black mud. Seconds later, seven
tall skeletons stood ready to serve their master. Chief Al’Rul
patted the nearest horse’s skull. It nudged back against his hand,
its bones glowing in the darkness.

“Fanger, Horis, Knife-Eye, Red-Horn, Bleeder…
and
Maggot
,” said the Chief through clenched teeth, “you
will ride with me. The rest of you will wait here for our return.”
He lifted himself onto the horse’s back, his hands griping its
jagged spine. Five other Phooka did the same, leaving only a
hesitant Maggot standing still beside his mount. He looked up to
meet the Chief’s gaze. Chief Al’Rul growled and swung at him with
his mace. Maggot scrambled atop the boney horse without further
warning.

Chief Red-Tooth Al’Rul raised his mace high
into the air, his mount rearing and flashing stark white hooves.
“
For blood and glory!”

***

Amaeya’s eyes snapped open, jolted awake by
the sudden shaking of the war machine.

“Sorry about that,” said Merrick, his eyes
never leaving the small window over the levers. “We’re getting
closer to the cliffs. The land is rougher here.”

“What are we going to do once we reach the
cliffs?” Amaeya untangled herself from her chain. The girl lay fast
asleep, her head propped up against the wall.

Merrick paused, shifting the levers to adjust
to the rocky terrain. “There has to be a way down. My ancestors
found it, years ago when they fled from their homeland. Legends say
that they found a stone giant that let them pass. Others say they
found a system of tunnels that led down to the desert. Of course,
I’ve even heard once that a great phoenix flew in and carried them
to safety.” Merrick laughed. It was a sound that Amaeya had come to
enjoy.

“The way this night has been I wouldn’t be
surprised if we did get rescued by a phoenix,” said Amaeya, peering
over Merrick’s shoulder and out the window. Short stubby trees
dotted the land outside. Little clumps of grass clung to the
gnarled ground. She had never seen such a pitiful land. “What is it
like? The place you come from, that is.”

“It’s…” Merrick hesitated, shifting the
position of the levers once again, “it’s both barren and beautiful.
The sands stretch out as far as you can see. They turn blood red
when the sun both sets and rises. It is also home to some of the
most beautiful and dangerous beasts. There are blood scorpions,
slashers, razor-back vipers, and many other things that could kill
you in a matter of seconds. There are trolls near the Dragon’s
Breath Mountains and dragons near the Storm-Crowned Cliffs. Nothing
is as it seems. Even when you think you are starting to see through
the desert’s tricks it still has another one you haven’t seen.”

“It sounds horrible. Why would you ever want
to go back?” Amaeya grabbed his arm to steady her stumbling
stance.

Merrick met her gaze with calm blue eyes.
“Because it’s
home
. It is where I was born and it is where I
will die.”

Amaeya nodded, knowing exactly how he felt.
She longed to have that feeling once again, even if it were in a
treacherous place like the Great Desert. “Do you think that it
could ever be my home, too?”

“Of course!” The words fell from Merrick’s
mouth in a jumble. He flushed at his childish eagerness. Amaeya
laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist. She looked up into
eyes, inches from his face. Her gaze traced the fine creases on his
tanned skin and marveled at how his light blue eyes were flecked
with sapphire. She had never wanted to kiss someone so badly in her
life.

Amaeya felt the warmth of his skin on her
cheek. She inched closer with her lips, begging for him to not turn
away, but to inch closer, too.

As her lips brushed his, the war machine
lurched to the side, knocking her off her feet. Merrick hung from
the levers, trying to regain his balance.

“Did we hit something?” Amaeya could feel her
face flush as her mind flooded with thoughts of what had almost
happened.

“No, I don’t think so. We must have hit a
hole,” he said, peering through the narrow window. The war machine
gave another sudden jolt, this time accompanied by the sound of
splintering wood.

Amaeya stumbled to the heavy wooden door and
opened it just far enough to peek out. The sun had crept up onto
the horizon, turning the sky a deep dusty blue. She opened the door
further to inspect the exterior of the war machine. A familiar
angry yellow gaze greeted her, stopping her beating heart dead.
Gasping, she threw herself away from the door, kicking it shut with
her feet. Outside, the pounding of hooves punctured the constant
grinding of giant metal wheels.

“
He’s come for me!”
She was screaming.
Sobs poured out from her mouth, mingling and distorting her
words.