Kara (17 page)

Not another!
He needed to get away, to
make sure his friends did not die in vain.

Thunk!

Red-hot pain jolted his body, and he reached
to grasp the knife protruding from his shoulder. Jesset fell
forward and hit the forest floor.

“Cover his mouth,” someone commanded.
“Somehow he is making these creatures attack.”

Rough hands wrenched the knife from Jesset
and hauled him to his feet. His shoulder throbbed and blood slowly
poured out of the wound. His eyes tried to focus, but everything
seemed to swim in front of him. They dragged Jesset in front of the
leader, his head forced to look straight into hard, cold eyes.

“My knife.” The leader extended his right
hand and one of the soldiers slapped the bloody implement on his
outstretched palm. The man took his blade and held it to Jesset’s
throat.

“Not one more word to your animal friends or
it will be your last.”

The soldiers hauled Jesset inside following
the one in command. One minute he was being supported and the next
he fell to the floor. He coughed as dust went in his nose and
eyes.

In a corner, Birch looked out from behind a
barrel. He rocked back and forth. Jesset stared hard at the dog,
willing him to stay put.

“Where is it, Mordock?”

Confusion spread over Jesset’s face. “I don’t
know what you’re talking about,” he said.

The leader kicked him in the abdomen. He
beckoned to his soldiers. “Search the place.”

A dish crashed to the ground followed by a
bowl. Soldiers were kicking at other objects.

“Sir.” A soldier spoke. “Filo is dead.
Caldous is bleeding badly from the antler wound. I’m not sure he
will make it.”

“Put Caldous out of his misery. A punctured
stomach is something he will not live through.” The voice did not
sound happy.

The man squatted down, grabbed Jesset by his
hair, and pulled upward. Jesset did his best to tilt his head and
avoid the stinging pain.

“Your animals have killed my men. I will not
be the embarrassment of the castle because they were defeated by
woodland creatures. Get him up!” he ordered. Two soldiers pulled
him to his feet.

Jesset looked up, The leader held a small
trunk open. Inside was the piece of mirror Kirt had wanted him to
look at. “Aha. At last, we’ve found it,” the commander said. The
trunk slammed shut “Bring him and that trunk. We must get back to
the castle.”

Guards lifted the Mordock to his feet and
settled him into the saddle of a dead man’s horse. The pain in his
shoulder became an aching throb. Every bone in his back felt like
it was dislocated. The leader’s lieutenant wrapped the reins around
his wrist and led Jesset’s horse down the path toward the
castle.

And all the while Jesset tried to figure out
the confusing turn of events.

All they wanted was that shard?

Chapter Fourteen

It took some time before the wizard spoke
again. He indicated they should sit. Grace found a table to land
on. He poured his guests some tea with the aroma of oranges but
tasted of apple and cinnamon without speaking. He asked no
questions, yet somehow knew to provide honey for Snow’s and milk
for Kara’s tea.

“I never thought I would see it. Sure, I read
about it, but never did I think that I would see it. And never in
my humble domain.” He sipped his tea noisily.

“But what is it? Is it dangerous? Am I going
to be hurt by it?”

“Patience, dear child.” He set his cup in its
saucer. “I will tell you all I know but it is my tale to tell. Let
me tell it as I wish it to be told.”

Kara sat back in her chair and sipped her
tea. Anxiety ate her up inside, but she would allow him at least a
chance to tell the story in his way.

“A long time ago, which it was, I was one of
Longshanks’ spooks.” Ynob held up one finger to silence Kara, her
mouth open ready with a question. She closed it. He continued.
“This was the father of the one who rules now. La’ard is cruel, but
nothing like his father was.” He slurped his tea.

“I was one of the first spooks in the
kingdom, before they were called spooks. The previous ruler, King
Vercoz, was murdered by magic. Many, including I, believed that
Longshanks had something to do with it. Vercoz had no offspring and
Longshanks was the nearest relative left that could take the
throne. He was a cousin or some other nonsense.”

The wizard paused and finished off his tea.
He placed his cup on the saucer, apparently thinking, and then set
it aside. “After Longshanks took the throne, he started to gather a
magic users group. It started with a group of five. We were to be
his bodyguards, protect him from the previous king’s fate. He
picked some powerful mages for that group. Mind you, most magical
personages don’t become strong on their own. The skilled are few
and far between. The five he gathered had more talent than the rest
of the kingdom combined. That’s what made him nervous after a
time.”

“We were allowed to recruit possible
apprentices in that first year of operation. The group expanded to
twenty, when each of us took on four. But Longshanks grew fearful.
Fear often sprouts hate. And this hate came on fast and furious one
night.”

Ynob stood and went to fetch more tea. He
brought the kettle, pouring his first, and topping off Snow’s and
refilling Kara’s. She had no idea her cup was empty until the pot
came by. Her mouth felt like it had just savored her mother’s apple
pie. And her nose could not deny the smell of oranges ready to
squeeze. Her eyes, meanwhile, only saw tea.

“I am blessed with insomnia. Blessed, because
it saved me that night from a spook’s fate. Longshanks hired
assassins to murder and cremate the original five. Our quarters
were currently in close proximity to the blacksmith’s brazier, a
brazier that was often used to burn trash, diseased livestock, and
bodies.

“Longshanks could not have planned this any
better. Three of the mages were killed outright and one went out
fighting. Or at least tried to. A magical flameburst lit the roof
of our dwelling on fire. Wizards need precise aim as well as
diction to perform a spell. This particular mage had bit his tongue
when he was startled awake, and his arm was knocked aside while
casting the spell.”

“We’d all be dead, except I happened to be in
the stables when I saw the fire. It was too late by the time I
arrived. Most of the recruits had been burned. One assassin was
escaping and didn’t expect to run into anyone. He happened to bump
into me. I recognized his guild. I did some quick magic work by
swinging a shovel and knocked the man out. My brain worked fast,
putting the pieces together. I plied most of the facts about the
mission from his mind while I had him unconscious.”

Ynob sat back in his chair and stared into
his tea. Kara sat on the edge of her seat, waiting for information
that pertained to her. It looked like he finished telling his tale.
That worried her—bothered her to the point of speaking out.

“And what about this necklace?” It came out a
bit rude but she didn’t care.

“I told you girl, all in due time.”

“No. You can’t just tease me with information
and then go into the story of your life. Exciting as that is, it
does not help explain this necklace.” She looked down and noticed
it was shining brighter now.

Ynob, ready to retort, noticed the glow too.
He paused as his mind shifted gears. “Have you had dreams yet?” His
voice shook slightly.

“Why?” Kara asked. The pendant’s color
darkened but still glowed strongly.

“I had no idea it was active! Such a fool!”
Ynob whispered under his breath. He stood up violently, knocking
his teacup and saucer to the floor. “You need to leave. Now!”

Kara, Snow, and Grace sat there stunned. They
looked at one another for an answer and then to the wizard who
waved them out.

“If I said anything….”

“No, it is not that. But you need to leave
now
!” Ynob threw her shawl upon her, trying to hide the
necklace. “And cover that up!”

Grace took to the air, and Snow got to her
feet. Kara stood too, but did move toward the door.

The wizard muttered incantations with one arm
outstretched and the other hand at his temple. Every so often, a
thin arc of light appeared around him.

“Go, you must leave now!” Ynob said again,
and then went back to conjuring his spell.

Grace twittered and Snow nodded. “Maybe we
should just go.”

“But he knows something.”

“Go!” the wizard roared from the bottom of
the stairs.

And suddenly, she felt herself flying, pulled
backward, up the steps and out the door. Snow seemed caught by the
same invisible force. And the door slammed shut, becoming tree
trunk again. They sat on the forest floor. The spell had been rude,
but not rough when it dropped them to the ground.

“What just happened?” Kara rubbed her
backside as she got to her feet. She helped Snow up.

“I’m not sure.”

Grace flew down by the other two. She started
chirping. About mid chirp, a blur from the left hit Grace, and the
sprite disappeared from their sight.

Kara and Snow stared toward where the blur
had materialized and saw a woman emerging from the bushes. Her
silver eyes sparkled in the noonday light.

“Kara, run!” Snow screamed.
Schunk!
She instantly changed into a rabbit and sped off.

Kara hesitated a moment. What was going on?
Was this lady a threat?

She started to follow Snow, but three steps
later, someone grabbed her from behind. She fought to free herself
but her assailant shoved a cloth against her mouth and nose. She
felt herself falling and everything went dark.

***

“That is not funny.” Dante sulked as he and
Hambone made their way through the forest. He trotted along in fox
form, usually easier for him when taking long journeys through the
woods.

“I’m sorry. It’s just I haven’t seen Ra’na in
awhile so things just got out of hand.” Hambone said, blushing with
a big grin on his hairy face.

“Then warn me next time. It was a bit
embarrassing.”

“I will.”

Their day so far had been a long hike. First,
they had checked Katrena’s booth in Aladedas, finding it shuttered
and showing no signs of life. Quickly, Dante checked the nymphs’
booth but found out that Lyllianna was not working today. Hambone
sighed in relief. It saved him the time it would take to drag the
fox away from the market. They then had visited Ra’na, to find out
where Katrena lived. Ra’na provided the directions, and Dante and
Hambone set out for Katrena’s house.

“Figures she’d live by the gulch.” Dante
grunted as he climbed a steep hill. They crested the rise. The
gulch lay before them, a V-like cut into the earth as if some giant
had sliced out a piece of pie. It was a huge area, and a tremendous
drop-off. Dante looked over the edge and saw only rocks, trees, and
a hint of a small stream. He quickly pulled himself away.

Wordlessly, Hambone pointed north and they
continued.

“Keep your voice low.” Hambone whispered.

“Why?”

“I would rather surprise whatever lives here
than it surprise us.”

Dante stopped and looked back at the dwarc.
“And what
it
are you thinking of coming upon to accidentally
surprise?”

Hambone waved him forward. The forest
clustered tightly around the gulch, hiding that which was right in
plain view. Eventually, parting some of the foliage, they saw
Katrena’s cottage. It looked fairly normal from the outside. Dante
led the way to the building from where they watched the house for
five minutes to see whether they could notice any activity. When
they didn’t, Hambone crept behind him. Every few feet they paused,
listening. Once the pair made it to the side of the house, they
waited again.

“I don’t think anyone is home.” Dante
whispered.

“Let’s look up front.”

As they rounded the corner of the cottage,
Dante stumbled over a body, a small one, but definitely a dead one.
“Yipe!” he yelped.

Hambone shushed him, and Dante put his paw to
his mouth. They both froze and stared down at what remained of
Skrag. A few rats waddled away, while some of the insects remained
undisturbed by the clumsy fox.

No one came out of the house or yelled at the
two intruders. All was still quiet.

“Well, I guess we know what happened to the
goblin,” Hambone said quietly.

“Did…did she do that to him?” Dante said,
still very unnerved by the corpse.

Hambone took a stick and poked at the
remains, inspecting him. “Looks like he was attacked by something,
maybe partially eaten.”

Dante suddenly was on all fours, very alert
and looking over his shoulder. “Do you think…think whatever it was
is still here?”

Hambone also looked into the woods, but then
reassured Dante. “No. The body would be gone if it were. At least,
that’s what I think.”

“We…we should go.” Dante circled around,
trying to keep an eye on everything. Hambone was a bit uneasy too.
He looked around at the house, waiting for Katrena to pop up. Then
he noticed the door ajar. He made a step toward it.

“What are you doing?” Dante almost screamed
when he realized Hambone’s intent.

“Shhh!” The dwarc continued forward until he
was at front of the door. With his foot, Hambone casually bumped
the door so it opened a bit more. “Hello?”

Dante held his breath. No answer came from
inside. The door opened wider and the Hambone went in. The fox
remained rooted to his spot, anxious, and ready to run at the first
sound of trouble.

“Hello. Katrena?” Hambone called out
again.

A raven buzzed Dante’s head. “Dragon!” he
screamed and took off running into the forest.

Hambone, startled, ran out the door where he
almost collided with the bird. All he saw of Dante was his bushy
tale snaking into the forest.