The Compass Key (Book 5) (3 page)

“Fizzle no feel good,” the drite whimpers, falling to the ground.

“I have you,” Timoran says. He catches the drite and stumbles to safety, keeping the small creature curled against his chest. Slowly, his muscles lock up and the barbarian can only talk. “Fizzle and I cannot move!”

“Give them a hand
, Nyx!” Delvin orders from the mob of undead that is still trying to paralyze him.

“You-” Nyx begins before a fist hits her in the face. The half-elf drops to the ground, her body stuck with its arms up and legs bent.

“Hey! Forget the easy meals and get the guy who can still kill you!” Delvin screams, waving his sword and buckler in the air.

A roaring screech fills the air as the revenants start to converge on Delvin. The undead horde ignores the growing noise until a winged form crashes through them. Several of the revenants are torn to pieces while others are knocked to the ground by the strong wind. They erupt and set a few of their brethren on fire with their sparks. Another attacks smashes through the
bulk of the revenants, destroying half of the horde and causing the rest to gather into a small, confused group in front of Delvin. With a solid thud, the griffin lands behind Delvin and rears back with its wings spread to their full length. The revenants float into the air until they are above the trees and let the high winds cast them away from the furious beast.

“Saying we’ve been looking for you sounds kind of silly right now,” Delvin
says, sheathing his longsword and turning to the griffin. “Have you been in griffin form this entire time?”

With a ruffle of feathers and fur, the griffin shrinks and twists into the form of Luke Callindor. The half-elf flexes his sore shoulders and yawns, his eyes showing signs of exhaustion. He staggers forward and Delvin catches him, letting Luke gather his strength to stand on his own. The forest tracker is covered in sweat and dirt that has caked onto his skin. The leather armor patches on his stomach and back are covered in dried blood. Delvin notices a few spots of fresh blood that has seeped from the wound Kayn inflicted on Luke during their fight at the academy.

“You’re still bleeding, Luke,” Delvin says, reaching out to touch the wound. He is pulling a bandage out of his belt pouch when Luke slaps his hand away. “Don’t be a fool, Callindor. You’re lucky that wound isn’t infected, so let me help you until we can get a healing potion from Nyx.”

“Why are you here?” Luke asks in a low, guttural voice.

“We came to help you rescue Sari. You can’t do it alone,” Delvin sternly replies. He offers the bandage to Luke, who silently refuses it. “I know you’re angry and worried, Luke, but this isn’t something you can do alone. Timoran and Nyx care about Sari too. I’m concerned as well, even though I barely know her. We’re stronger together than alone, which is something you can’t deny.”

“I don’t need your help,” Luke growls, turning to walk away. Instead, he finds a small fist rushing toward his face. The savage, rage-fueled blow hits him between the eyes and drops him to the ground.

“You don’t have a damn choice, little brother,” Nyx snaps while massaging her knuckles.

*****

Luke glares at Nyx from across the campfire, his mouth slowly chewing a piece of bland snake meat. His wounds are healed and his energy has returned, but his mood is still a dark cloud over the camp. Through the corner of his eye, he watches Delvin sip at a mug of thick coffee that he insisted on making. His attention returns to Nyx when she yawns and stretches her arms over her head.

“You punched me,” he says in a voice edged with anger.

“I know. I was there,” Nyx responds, meeting his angry stare with a challenging look. “You flew off by yourself and put your life in danger. Did you think I was going to stay behind?”

“I didn’t care,” Luke
states before grabbing a piece of hot bog hare meat and tearing a chunk off with his teeth. “I knew you would show up eventually, but all of you were so busy talking. I had to do something.”

Delvin makes an exaggerated smack of his lips as he puts his mug down. “I agree. You had to do something, Luke. Unfortunately, you chose to run off into enemy territory and force us to divide our forces
. Now, we’re not involved in planning the assault and we’re ignorant of any information that Selenia gets in our absence. What you did was put us deeper into trouble than we were before Kayn took Sari.”

“What if he took Nyx?” Luke asks with a cruel smile. “Would you have sat around waiting for the morning?”

“Yes,” Delvin answers without hesitation. He sighs in frustration at the look of shock on Luke’s face. “It’s all nice to go charging in as the brave hero, but the real world doesn’t work that way. One needs to plan for victory. If I was deeply in love with Nyx then I would want to do things right. Kayn said he was bringing her to his masters, so they want her alive. That meant we could have taken until the morning instead of charging into a monster-infested swamp. Patience is a key part of battle strategy.”

“So, you’re not really laidback and lazy, Delvin,” Nyx mentions with a wry smile. “You’re always planning and thinking, so you’re lost in your own thoughts.”

“That much has been obvious from the beginning,” Timoran interrupts as he takes a seat at the fire. He grabs three pieces of snake meat and shoves them in his mouth, chewing and swallowing them within seconds. “You can see it in his eyes. Those are the eyes of a thinking man.”

“Then let’s hear our thinking man’s plan,” Luke angrily says. He winces when a slender tail smacks him in the head and Fizzle materializes on his shoulder.

“Luke be nicer,” the little dragon demands. “Let think man think.”

Delvin gets to his feet and stretches his legs, his head leaning dangerously close to the fire. He notices the flames bend away from him and guesses that Nyx is behind it. Rubbing his hands, the warrior
circles his friends and the fire. Peering into the darkness, he can see hundreds of eyes watching them. The only thing keeping them at bay is a mild deterrent mixture that Timoran has spread around their camp. For the time, they are safe and able to think about their next moves. It is this little sense of peace and time that helps Delvin focus on what to do about Sari.

“We can’t travel at night. There are too many nocturnal predators out there and we need all of our strength for the big battle,” Delvin begins, his hands moving through the air as he speaks.
He envisions the Caster Swamp as a map and pretends to place unit pieces around the area. “Selenia will have already made a plan for the assault on the castle, so our job is to focus on getting there in one piece. I wish I knew more about what we were heading into. The only scout we have is Luke and I’m not convinced he’d come back with information.”

“I’d consider it,” Luke states with a smile. The smile immediately disappears as he tries to push away his sense of humor. “What about getting Sari?”

“Do you know what the word patience means?” Nyx counters.

“Luke is right. We’re the ones that will be going into the castle. It’s our job to rescue Sari while Selenia and the others handle the armies,” Delvin says, returning to his seat and holding his head in his hands. “I can’t make a plan without knowing what we’re up against. Even knowing the
layout of the castle, I could figure out where she’s being held or our best plan of entry. I’m feeling rather useless right now.”

“Fizzle go,” the drite announces. He flutters into the air and lands next to Delvin. “Fizzle see Lich. Fizzle come back with news. Be invisible.”

“I don’t like that idea,” Nyx interjects. She shies away when Fizzle looks at her with a withering expression.

The drite turns back to Delvin and holds his gaze. “Fizzle strongest. Fizzle fastest. Fizzle be safe. Fizzle right choice.”

“I know, but I don’t have to like it,” the warrior admits. “Stay safe and don’t go into the castle. I don’t want to have to rescue you too.”

Fizzle nods and takes to the air, his dark purple body quickly disappearing into the cloudy sky. Silence and tension fills the camp while everyone finishes off the cooked meat. Delvin has another cup of coffee and watches Nyx stare into the fire. He examines her angular features
and short hair as they are kissed by the light of the flames. Delvin is so lost in his own thoughts that he fails to notice Nyx is watching him.

“Is there something you want to say?” she calmly asks.

“You look beautiful in the firelight,” Delvin bravely replies before taking another sip of his coffee. He grins at the sight of Nyx blushing and shifting uncomfortably. Deciding not to push his luck, the warrior looks across the fire at Timoran. “I’m curious about something, Sir Wrath. I was led to believe that barbarians were inarticulate, battle hunger warriors. Yet, you are very eloquent and restrained. I’ve even heard of your work in Hero’s Gate. Are you different from the rest of your kind?”

“It is foolish to think that every member of a culture acts identical,” Timoran answers. He grabs a stick to poke at the fire and move the flaming wood around. “We have our angry warriors, our fools, and our sages like every other culture. I have been schooled in reading, writing, and beast lore because a smart warrior is a skilled warrior.”

“This isn’t the time to become friends,” Luke mutters, getting to his feet and stripping of his armor patches. “If you want to rest then rest, but don’t waste time with idle chatter.”

“I have my own question,”
the barbarian says, ignoring Luke’s demand. “Mercenaries only work for money, so I do not understand why you are so anxious to help us. To you, we are strangers and there is no money in this.”

“Would you stop talking about stuff that doesn’t matter!?” Luke erupts, his
crippled patience running out. “Sari might die. Do any of you care-”

Luke’s words are cut off by a resounding smack across his face. He looks across the fire to Nyx, whose open hand is held out as if she recently struck him. She moves her hand again and the magical force strikes Luke in his other cheek. When Luke opens his mouth to speak, she smacks him a third time.

“Never ask that question, Luke Callindor,” Nyx growls as she drops her hand. She wipes the tears from her face and hides her quivering hands behind her back.

“You don’t understand. I don’t want to lose another friend,” Luke meekly whispers.

“We understand perfectly, my friend,” Timoran politely responds.

“Forget understanding!” Nyx shouts, startling several creatures in the shadows. “All of the friends Luke has lost were my friends too. Out of all of us, this whiney boy-child ha
s lost the least. I’ve lost friends to spells gone wrong in Rainbow Tower. Timoran and Delvin have lost friends in several battle. If anyone here doesn’t understand the pain of losing someone, it’s you, Luke.”

“Stand down, Nyx,” Delvin sternly demands. “You’re making things worse.”

Luke walks around the fire as if he is going to approach Nyx, but passes her and storms off into the darkness. They can hear the sound of a his sabers being drawn and the dull smack of them hitting rotten wood. An uncomfortable silence fills the camp as they listen to the continuous thuds. They get fainter as Luke wanders further into the dark swamp, fueled by his rage and sadness.

“This is going to be a problem if we do not handle it tonight,” Timoran informs the others. The barbarian stands and places a large hand on Nyx’s head. “You hurt him, so you should go talk to him.”

The caster pushes her friend’s hand away. “I only said what’s true. He has to get used to losing loved ones at some point.”

“If he’s a whiney boy-child then you’re a coldhearted
bitch,” Delvin says. He catches Nyx’s slap and gives her palm a small kiss. “My point is that nobody gets used to losing loved ones unless they grow cold on the inside. I care about every ally that I’ve lost and I always fear that I’ll lose more.”

“It is the constant fear of a warrior,” Timoran adds with a deep sigh. “Please go talk to him,
fire sprite, and try to calm him down.”

“Fine, but don’t get mad if
I deck him again.”

Delvin and Timoran watch Nyx walk into the darkness and feel the crushing silence. It is a few minutes later that Delvin takes a step forward. Timoran swiftly grabs him by the arm and pulls him to the fire. He sits the smaller warrior down and takes a seat next to him. Every time Delvin tries to get up, Timoran gently pushes him back down.

“You are worried about Nyx,” Timoran says. He slaps Delvin on the back and laughs with enough force to shake the log they are sitting on. “She would make an unstoppable barbarian woman with her inner fire and strength. You do not have to worry.”

Delvin shifts away from Timoran and gets to his feet. “I know, but I choose to worry about her. She’s as delicate as Luke right now and I don’t want them to get into a fight. We need both of them alive
, calm, and healthy. Look, you asked why I’m helping all of you. According to Nyx, I’m destined to travel and fight alongside all of you. I need to make sure everyone knows what type of person I am. I’m a leader and a strategist, but I’m also a man who refuses to sit by and let his friends suffer in solitude and silence. I can help both of them if they’ll let me talk to them.”

“Your calm demeanor is chan
ging.”

“There are times for being calm and times for showing emotion,” Delvin admits with a friendly smirk. He runs a hand through his brown hair. “This is the time to let emotions out and leave them in the air. It’ll cleanse our hearts and minds for the battle. When this is all done, I’ll go back to being the calm, friendly warrior you met. I promise.”