Taylon (12 page)

“Well, we are all in trouble right now, so you better
think of something,” Ra’na said through another shower of wood from
above. The hole was now big enough to fit an arm.

All eyes stared up and then back to Ynob. “All
right.” And the man sulked to beneath the hole. He muttered
something and waved his hands. A shot of bright light soared
through the opening like an arrow. On the roof, someone screamed,
lost balance, and tumbled off the roof. He met Fret’s amazed
look.

“I call that an eye opener.” Then the magician laced
his fingers together and stretched them outward.

Snow stepped up to him and punched him in the
shoulder. “Show off. Now if we are done, we need to get out of
here.” Ynob rubbed his arm, his pride bruised.

Ra’na had been looking out the window. “I think they
all went around back to help whoever fell.”

At those words, Gantha decided to make a break for
it. He stood and ran toward the front door. Opening it, he was
ready to dash out, but someone blocked his path. Kerlick stood
there. Before anyone could react, he raised and pointed a crossbow
at the warlock.

THUNK!

But instead of piercing the magic man, the bolt
bounced off an invisible shield and onto the floor. Gantha
staggered back and fell over. Snow screamed. Ra’na was the only one
to ready to attack.

She hurled herself at Kerlick. Dropping the crossbow,
Kerlick retrieved a dagger. He slashed out, catching her in the
arm—a bit early—not stopping the assualt at all. Ra’na tackled
him.

Ynob started another spell when the window broke. A
log burst through and tumbled along the ground. Fret jumped back
and ran behind the table that held the tomes and the ring. He
noticed that Jesset still stood rooted to the spot.

“Jesset! Over here.”

Ra’na and Kerlick wrestled on the floor. Gantha crab
walked backward, away from the scuffle, until he hit the log.
Looking in the broken window was another rebel. He used a sword to
knock out the rest of the glass.

Snow bumped into Ynob mid-spell. He cursed and began
again. Snow continued on to the kitchen after a brief apology.

BOOM!

The thug, who had been at the window, disappeared.
The window itself had vaporized. The wall with the window
destroyed. A huge hole appeared in the side of the house. Snow ran
from the kitchen, holding an iron skillet over her head. She slowed
as she saw the hole, staring dumbfounded.

“What…” Snow muttered.

“You distracted me so I couldn’t be that precise.”
Ynob complained.

Two new rebels appeared in the new opening.

Snow ran at them wielding her skillet. Luckily, the
men looked confused, and she was able to whack one in the face. The
other deflected her next blow. Ra’na stood to help, but Kerlick
came at her with a knife. The blade penetrated her side.

With a cry of pain, she drove her elbow back into the
elf’s chest. She then turned and delivered an uppercut to his face.
The wound looked like it hurt with every movement, but fortunately
it was not fatal.

The wizard began with another spell, but with Snow in
the way, he held off. The Werehare struggled with the opponent,
losing her skillet in the process. Jesset and Fret wanted to help,
but weren’t sure what they could do. Unknowingly, Fret picked up
the ring.

“Snow, rabbit!” Ynob yelled. She understood and
quickly changed form.
SHUNK!
Quickly the animal dashed out
the new doorway as a bolt of electricity sizzled overhead. The
bandit, surprised by the hare, only had a second before the
electrical charge dropped him to the ground.

Ra’na ran out the door, kicking Kerlick again as she
went. Ynob made a motion to the two behind the table to go. Jesset
didn’t need another invitation, and quickly ran. A commotion in the
kitchen drew Fret’s attention.

“Go, boy!” Ynob yelled as he turned toward the
kitchen. Another elf had made it through the back door. This one
held a bow, cocked and ready to fire. The wizard began
muttering.

Both the spell and the arrow launched at the same
time. A fireball hurtled at the rebel, and an arrow with a wicked
head sliced through the frames toward the warlock. The fireball hit
first. A scream covered up the arrow’s entry.

As he ran forward, Fret put on the ring
absentmindedly. The arrow had struck a little lower than the
shoulder. Pain and shock etched Ynob’s face. Fret came up, ready to
help, but not sure what to do. Fire raged in the kitchen, the
fireball having caught the house on fire as the elf thrashed
about.

The magician stumbled forward, and Fret reached out
to steady him. Fret’s hand accidentally brushed against the wound
and Ynob cried out. “No. Get the books.”

Quickly the boy ran to the table. Smoke billowed from
the kitchen. Fret paused, looking at the darkness filling the
ceiling.

“Boy! Quickly!” Ynob said with a cough. He was making
his way toward the opening that used to be a window. Fret stacked
what books he could carry and waddled to the doorway. He was to the
door when he heard the wizard fall.

With one heave, he threw the books outside and ducked
under the increasing smoke toward the fallen man. He had fallen
forward, pushing the arrow in further and breaking the shaft. Fret
tried to lift him up, but realized that wouldn’t work. Flipping the
man to his back, Fret grabbed under the arms and dragged him
out.

Even though they had been close to the opening, the
rescue seemed like it took hours. Fret gulped in some smoke and
began to cough as they reached the outside. He gave one last pull
and stumbled outside. His lungs burned as he collapsed onto the
forest floor.

Chapter Twelve

Kara spent most of the night trying to call out to
Warren, but the brownie wasn’t speaking. Melina had left him out of
his cage before she stormed off. Even through all her coaxing, she
eventually heard Warren’s door click closed beside her.

“I don’t get it. You’re free.” Kara kept the one
sided conversation up, not knowing what else to do. “If I were
outside this prison, I would run off, find my friends…” But with
that thought, her words dropped. They were probably worried
sick.

The cave echoed strange sounds, some coming from
farther inside, while others had to be outside. Kara let the
depression in, losing hope quickly now. Why had her life turned
upside down? Tears came to her eyes. At first she fought them, but
just as she had no control of her situation, she gave up the battle
and let her tears come. She wept softly to herself.

Click.

Kara almost missed the noise of the lock turning. She
stared up from her tear-stained palms, not seeing much before
her.

“Warren?” The door opened. She waited, not knowing if
this was a trick or an escape attempt. After a haunting silence,
Kara unfolded herself from her confinement. Everything was
black—and without being able to see—she awkwardly got to her feet.
Muscles ached as she stretched within the confines of the cramped
metal box.

Without losing her bearings, she shuffled her feet in
the direction she remembered as the exit. Very methodically, Kara
slid one foot forward, and then the next, making progress. As the
path started to rise, she could make out shapes of rocks in the
darkness. In a few feet more, the shapes took on an outline, faint,
but it allowed Kara to see a turn coming up.

Torchlight filtered in from another bend. She heard
voices, muffled. Now that she could see better, Kara lifted her
feet to walk, trying to be quiet. Each step brought her into the
firelight a bit more, until she could peek around the corner.

Two ugly creatures sat right inside looking out. Kara
recognized one of them as Melina’s helper. She crept back into the
shadows.

“How am I going to get around them?” She whispered to
herself.

“Orcs are easily distracted.”

The reply came from her dress pocket. She looked
down, and Warren stood there.

“Warren!” Her voice became excited but she did her
best to muffle it. Warren looked up at her. She waited for the
brownie to say something, but he didn’t. “Did you unlock my
door?”

“Obviously.” It was his deadpan tone again, drenched
in depression. Kara waited for more, but the brownie remained
silent.

Her mind flipped back to the orcs, and worked on ways
to distract the hideous beasts. Around her feet were loose rocks.
I could throw this over their heads…but that wouldn’t be enough
to distract them both for long.

“Are we going?”

Kara squatted and picked up several. The distraction
was worth a try. She picked a good-sized one and did a mock
throw.

“Now if you could just throw it,” Warren muttered as
he watched her.

One, two, three!
And she threw the stone. From
her calculations, it seemed that the rock would soar over the orcs’
heads and then into the far bushes. But that was not the case.
Kara’s descended too quickly and hit one of the orcs on the side of
the head. It let out a yelp.

“Why you hit me?” the Orc guard turned to his
companion, poking him. The other guard looked confused and angered
by the poke.

“I not hit you. Don’t poke.” And he gave a bigger
poke back to the one Kara had hit. In a matter of minutes, the two
guards were brawling with each other so much that they didn’t
notice the girl sneak out of the cave. Even after the orcs had
resolved their differences, it took them a moment to realize that
one of their torches was gone.

“Did you take my torch?” One guard said with a poke.
And soon the scuffle started all over again.

Kara snuck off into the night, assured no one
followed.

***

As easy as it had been to ride away from it all, once
he hit the Territories, it was a different story. Taylon rode west,
finding a path through which the horse could easily move. He
avoided the east, since that was where the fire had been. The
scouting party said Kara was probably in the east, but the former
captain hoped that maybe the wizard or shape shifter friends were
in the west.

After the rain let up, night swiftly followed. The
trail he took was a sinuous route that ended up back at the wall
several times. In some places, he had to dismount and walk his
horse because of fallen trees or dense overhang.

Taylon tried to avoid any caves or houses, not
wanting to entangle himself with the locals. His objective was
fading, as it appeared he was getting lost. Light dwindled, which
made things even more difficult. And when night really took over,
the howls began.

His horse became skittish as it carried him along an
overgrown path. It didn’t want to go any farther, but Taylon urged
it on. Maybe he should stop at a dwelling. Build a fire. But each
curve only brought more forest.

It was on a straightaway that the wolves attacked. He
thought he had seen eyes in the forest, what little light bounced
back from them. Two leapt from the woods onto the path. Instantly
his horse freaked, knowing the smell of danger. He looked behind,
as another wolf attacked the rear quarter of his mount.

Taylon was bucked off as the mare reared from the
pain. As he fell, he saw the two aggressive animals race in from
another direction for the kill. The captain landed on the back of
the first attacker, crippling it with his weight. It turned to snap
at him. Instincts and training ran through his head as his hand
reached for his sword. Jaws clamped down on his hand quickly but
released as they struck out again on his arm.

As he rolled to his feet, the wounded animal still
ferociously nipped at Taylon. The weapon felt heavy in his wounded
hand, but he used all his might to drive it through its skull.

Yipe!

The animal was dead, but the other two looked in his
direction, alerted to the danger. Taylon left his sword and ran.
His horse fell, giving a final cry, but there was no going back.
Something still chased him.

He jumped into the brush, off the path hoping to find
something. Seconds after him was another hungry dog or maybe two.
Ahead he made out a low branch.
Up, climb up! Wolves can’t
climb.

Taylon hadn’t climbed a tree since his youth. The
first limb gave him trouble. As he grabbed for the second, a wolf
latched onto his heel with its teeth. The captain held on in
desperation, his fingers barely finding purchase. He kicked out
with his free leg and was able to nail the predator somewhere
fleshy. It gave a pain-filled cry.

Taylon clung to a limb. Lire wolves snapped at the
bottom of the large tree. He dripped blood that taunted them as
they circled, trying to find a route to their prey.

Taylon huddled in his perch all night. The Lire
wolves had not given up the hunt. Cold slowly seeped into his body.
His leg stung and felt swollen. His hand could barely stand the
pressure of use. The pain and the predicament broke his spirit. If
Euphoria could see him now….

Inside his head, the imaginary queen laughed her
wicked cackle. His Rose stood next to her, eyes full of tears. But
as he looked on, he saw that she, too, was laughing.

I never really loved you Taylon,
yelled the
fake Rose as she pointed. Euphoria joined in with the taunting.

Look at the captain now, stuck in a tree. Kreitan
would be ashamed to call you his second.

Taylon screamed out in rage. As his anger rang out in
song, his heart became empty, lonely. Atop the tree, he cried.

***

Fret came to, the smell of apples in the air. It
reminded him of Smead when the fruit trees were ripe, and a warm
breeze carried the scent for miles. But as his eyes cracked open,
he saw the Dwarc staring at him.

“Ahhh!”

“The boy’s coming ’round,” Hambone cried out to
someone.