Chapter 9

"They took…all of them?"

Silva's unbelief washed over her face as she let what she saw sink in. The company had marched quickly through the woods (avoiding the roadway; they did not wish to be seen) to reach the place where the most recent battle had taken place. Few remnants of blood could be seen, washed away by the rain in the night, and only a body part or two remained. In fact, if it weren't for evidence like broken tree branches, crushed plants, and fallen equipment, a person may not have known a fight had taken place at all. No bodies remained.

"That means we may have some time yet," Arthos told them as he surveyed the area.

"Time," Laur-Q asked, her furry ears twitching.

"The monsters took prisoners, but they also took the dead, ours and theirs," Arthos replied without emotion, "For those humanoids who eat human flesh, they will eat the dead first before they rot away. They will keep the others alive for later. We must reach them before that happens."

"Do you think we can handle Bugbears," Silva began, "I've heard that they are brutal opponents."

"They are tough, but not unbeatable," Eluthera told them, "and we aren't planning to kill everything we see. If we can find and rescue the prisoners without fighting, we can come back with the guardsmen to finish the job."

So the troupe went to work. Tauron and Cobb searched the area for any sign of the direction the monsters had come in, hoping to find a trail to follow. Laur-Q moved around slowly, reaching her nose into the air to sample the wind hoping to find a smell she could use. Eluthera stood passively at the edge of the clearing that had been Silverblade's camp, just concentrating and occasionally turning her head a bit. For those who did not have the wilderness skills or the appropriate mystical abilities, time moved slowly.

Out in the woods, the differences between Eluthera's appearance and a human stood out even more. Silva watched the woods girl. Once you were closer to her, her 'hair' looked more like fine strings of a leafy material, and the red-orange hair didn't seem as bright as it had when they had first met, which seemed odd to Silva since they had been indoors with limited light during that first meeting. Silva noticed a few details she hadn't seen before as well; Eluthera's lack of fingernails, her eyes that were not white but were a very light green shade to go with the bright green iris', that she wore no footgear, and that her feet were a darker brown and appeared rougher than the skin of her face and hands.

"You are staring," Eluthera said with a half-smile and a sidelong glance at Silva. The acolyte jumped a bit, not realizing how obvious her examination had been.

"I apologize," the white-haired human girl stuttered, a blush coming to her pale skin. She wanted to change the subject and said, "Why do you concentrate so hard? To what end?"

Eluthera turned her face back towards the woods. "I'm consulting the spirits," she said, "The spirits of some who fell in the battle still dwell here, not sure where to go yet. I'm hoping they might know something that could help us. I have other senses at work too."

"Any success," Silva continued, hopeful.

"Not yet. Do you have any divining ability?"

"Not yet," Silva imitated, "I've been granted some small ability, but nothing like that."

Aseneth, bored and with no real wilderness skill to offer, stepped near where Arthos stood watch. While the others busied themselves, he watched the tree line with his hand comfortable resting on the handle of his weapon on the small chance that something dangerous appeared. He no longer wore the armor of the castle guard. Layered padding provided the base protection, with chain mail covering that. On his legs hardened leather provided the topmost protection, but his chest was covered with a steel breastplate, painted maroon with white highlights and adorned with a sigil shaped like a bird in flight. Metal protected his shoulders, forearms, and lower legs as well, with a matched helmet, and even the shield, wooden but with leather and thin steel plates for additional protection, matched the colors of the armor. The armor contrasted his light purplish skin well. He looked almost regal…and dangerous.

"You are wearing something new to me," Aseneth began with a big smile, "I know we only met yesterday, but I am curious about the change."

Arthos regarded her for a moment then watched the woods again. "As a guard and a trainer, I wore their standard and equipment. I am part of a unit and company, after all. What I wear now belongs to me, granted to me by my family before I left my home. The emblem on my chest is that of my family. There I am Arthos the White-Winged. This mission I am taking on my own initiative and may well lead to my death, so I felt that it would honor my family to wear my colors."

The mystic nodded, losing her smile as she looked the warrior up and down. "I certainly feel protected with you here," she said in a friendly manner.

Arthos did not look at her as he continued to scan the vegetation, but he answered, "We will see how much protection I can provide. I do not fear death, but if I must die that the rest of you survive, then that will be my legacy."

Karle listened to the exchange from a short distance, but he found it difficult to concentrate. Standing here, he relived parts of the battle over and over again, especially the moment he realized that Silverblade was dead. His anger grew each time he remembered. Anticipation grew within the mystic as well, anticipation for the moment when he faced those that had killed his friend.

A very short time later, Tauron returned from his search. Frustration ruled his features.

"I can't find any real sign beyond the obvious," he said, "I've circled this place over and over."

"The rain washed away the tracks," his sister asked calmly.

"That may be part of it, but there should still be signs. You can clearly see where the creatures entered this clearing and from which direction they attacked. You follow that a short distance and it disappears, as if they just dropped down to that location from the sky." Tauron leaned against a tree and tried to relax even as all seven of his companions, Cobb having returned a few minutes before, formed a half-circle in front of him.

Tauron continued, "Either the creatures are so skilled in the woods that they can move without leaving a sign, which I doubt because we are dealing with several different species, or they have someone with them instructing them how to move and covering their trail after they pass. 24 hours was plenty of time to hide a trail. I could do it if I needed to."

"I'm afraid I can't help either," Laur chimed in sheepishly, "There are scents, but nothing strong enough for me to try and follow. I could see nothing of help from the top of the trees, either.

Eluthera sighed and nodded. "There are spirits here, but I could discern no information from them. I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize," Arthos said, "We are just at the start of our mission, and this was only the most logical course of action. We have many options."

"I'm not sure of that," Karle whispered, "Silverblade spent a great deal of time with the same mission."

"Perhaps," Arthos responded, "but Silverblade changed his camp every few days, as you told me. He also needed food to feed his group, and had to avoid the castle guard as well. We can concentrate on our mission, and if we begin to run out of food, we have resources that he did not. You have also told me the places Silverblade had already searched, so we can leave those out of our plan for now. We need to decide what our next move is."

Tauron looked into the guardsman's eyes, "Follow me. There is someone not far away that might know more."


The mission was official now, and a marching order set. Laur-Q, the smallest and possibly quietest of them, ranged ahead looking for any obstacles or enemies that might bar their path. Tauron led the main part of their group, always watchful of the forest ahead. Cobb walked to the left, Arthos to the right, both ready if something emerged from the brush at them. Silva, Aseneth, and Karle walked in a line in between the fighters, only Karle having the wilderness experience to keep his eyes open and alert. Eluthera, with her unique senses, walked a dozen paces behind them straining to detect if anyone or anything followed them.

And Eluthera was truly beginning to 'wake up' in the woods. Days of relative inactivity and recovery of wounds washed off of her like dirt in a shower. Every smell, every color, every cool breeze with a slight mist of water heartened her and enlivened her. Even the continuing threat of rain from the gray skies couldn't dim her exuberance, although she stifled outward signs. She felt like laughing and dancing, but it truly was not the time for it.

'Behind', a voice quietly whispered to her.

"Hold," she hissed, and the company halted. The half-dryad turned partway and turned her head towards the rear of the company. She strained all of her senses, and even called upon the senses of another nearby. Arthos started to question but she held up her hand to halt him.

"Something follows us," she said, trying to remain quiet but needing more than a whisper in this breeze, "It doesn't seem to be getting closer but it is keeping pace with us." She paused for a moment, listening.

"Reptilian, I think," she said at last.

"There is no need to fear, then," Tauron said, relaxing, "He follows me."

"Follows? What exactly is it and why would it follow you?" Suspicion played on Arthos' face as he spoke.

"He and I have come to trust each other and hunt together," Tauron said, "I didn't mention him because I didn't think he would follow with the rest of you here. I guess he is more loyal than I thought. He is a runner lizard, about 5 foot long plus his tail. He showed up a few months ago after I made a kill and I let him eat his fill. He started following me, even staying near my cabin while I slept at night. Then he started helping me hunt, either spooking prey toward me or getting ahead of and grabbing prey that I chased. Together we can take down things that alone we would have more trouble with, and both of us eat well. The only time he isn't somewhere near me is when I am at the keep. Either way, he is no threat."

Eluthera smiled. She had heard of this kind of thing before. Silva was smiling as well, and even Karle had cracked a wry grin. Arthos just shook his head as Tauron turned and forged ahead.

'The guardsman will learn some new things on this team,' Eluthera thought and she giggled a little.


As they walked, Aseneth stumbled on several occasions, not used to hiking through the woods. At no point did she complain or even whimper, instead her jaw set and she continued without encouragement. Eventually she tripped and dropped to one knee. Cobb jumped to her side and helped her stand in a second, and she flashed a grateful smile even though pain could be seen in her eyes. Still, she worked as hard as she could.

And the wild life was alive this morning! A few deer fled from the procession as they trekked, birds called from the tree tops, and even a small-medium sized owl, possibly awakened by the group, stared at them from the branches above. Eluthera estimated they had moved almost two miles when she started to notice the bees.

As they marched, bees flew everywhere in this part of the wood. Not just a few, hundreds of the insects and several different species busied themselves with their work. There were not many flowers this time of year, but those plants that still carried blooms were almost assaulted by numbers of the insects, and the entire area buzzed softly.

"Should we be concerned about the bees," Silva asked, having noticed the amount of flying bugs around them.

"No, they won't attack unless we attack them first or disturb their nests," Tauron answered calmly, "They tell me I'm heading in the right direction."

Eluthera watched Tauron and the bees carefully as they marched. 'He is following the bees to their hives,' she realized.

Only two or three minutes after she made that determination, the group broke out of the woods into a fairly large clearing. Laur-Q stood in the trees waiting for her companions. One huge, ancient tree stood near the middle of the clearing. Bee hives decorated the branches of the tree, and Eluthera saw many more along the trees and bushes that lined the clearing. A stream ran though the glade with a carpet of bright green clover and flowers of many different types and color, including some that should not be in bloom this time of year, which grew strong and tall and lent a mixture of sweet scents to the air. A small wooden shack stood next to the tree, very old looking but in good maintenance. A balding man hummed softly as he tended one of the hives.

"He is the one we should speak to," Tauron whispered, "He is The Bee Man. He has never told me any other name." The forester boldly walked ahead, waving his hand in the air. "Hello, my friend," he called, "I thought today would be a good day to pay a visit."

The man turned and regarded the company of eight as they approached, and a warm smile lit on his face. The man was old but not ancient, and not a bit of hair grew upon his head. He looked like a happy grandfather in well-worn breeches, shirt, and what appeared to be self-made sandals.

"BARAN! So good to see you again, though any day is good for a visit," the Bee Man said in unabashed happiness.

"It is Tauron, not Baran," the woodsman corrected, "Well met."

"Yes, Tauron, of course. Terribly sorry," The Bee Man finished what he was doing, picked up a small bucket, and turned toward his visitors. "I do not have much for provisions for so many, but I just harvested some spectacular honeycomb."

"Honeycomb," Arthos mused for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. "I've seen you at the castle selling honey and honeycomb on market days."

"Yes, sometimes I do that. The bees are generous beyond measure, but sometimes I need a few things that they cannot provide. They don't mind, they are very gregarious that way, and I care for them as best I can, seeding hives wherever I find a good spot."

"You transplant hives," Silva said doubtfully, "How do you move a hive of bees?"

"By strapping the whole thing on my back," the old man said happily, "They know I won't hurt them, and the glade can reasonable support only so many thousands of bees, you know."

"Didn't you KNOW that, Silva," Laur-Q squealed with glee. She already liked this Bee Man.

Tauron cut in, "We have already eaten this morning, but we would be honored to share a small snack with you. Thank you for the offer."

"Tauron…what does that remind me of?" The old man seemed lost in thought, but whatever he searched for suddenly came to him. "Did you know there are tauric bees far South of here? I think you may have to go past the elf forests and across the channel, but they stand almost to my knee and only use four of their legs to stand! Their front legs end in little graspers, and they use them like we use our hands! Of course I don't have any of them here, but if you ever travel that far South, you should seek them out. They are a fantastic species."

The old man continued to talk about species of bees as he led them toward his house. As they followed, Karle stopped Arthos for a moment.

"I must take a break," the mystic said, "It will be a few minutes."

'Will he come back,' Arthos wondered, but he didn't impede Karle from heading back toward the trees. "Be careful where you go. Don't squat on a hive," Arthos called with a smile before entering the shack.

They very quickly realized that there were no chairs, not even for the Bee Man. The shack was about as sparsely furnished as possible. The Bee Man sat cross legged on the floor with only a mat in front of him. He did have a stack of wooden bowls and spoons, and he served out a portion of comb and honey for each visitor. "I'm sure I counted eight," Bee Man said while looking around, "Where did the scraggly fella go?"
"He needed to relieve himself," Arthos offered.

"Hope he doesn't squat on a hive," the Bee Man said with a huge grin and a wink to the guard captain.

There was a loud buzz, and the crew watched as a very large insect, longer than the Tauron's huge foot, walked slowly across the ceiling. Many of them noticed how the cabinets on the wall of the hut had at some point been colonized by more bees.

"What is that big one," Tauron asked in awe. Even he had never seen something like that.

"That is one of the largest species I have ever come across that wasn't touched by magic," the Bee Man explained, "There are only a dozen or so here in the glade, they don't have huge hives. They are more like a wasp than a bee, but I treat them like any of my other friends and they don't bother me. They don't lose die after stinging something, either. I call them Sapphire Stingers because of the blue thorax, but there might be another name for them elsewhere."

Karle did join the rest of the team after a quarter-hour or so. Most of them had nibbled at their snack, not truly being hungry, but by the time Karle had sat down Silva had eaten three portions of the comb and licked the honey from the bottom of her bowl. Tauron looked embarrassed for his sister but the Bee Man seemed very pleased that someone, at least, had eaten so heartily. They made some light conversation and the Bee Man often spoke at length about bees, their species, favorite plants to take pollen from, how far different types would fly to find suitable plants, etc. After a while, frustration grew in Arthos.

"Tauron, we have a mission to perform," he whispered.

Silva leaned toward the guard. "We are not interrogating a suspect in a crime," she calmly said, "We shouldn't just march into his glade and question him. He has offered his hospitality and we should be gracious."

Arthos recognized the wisdom in her words and tried to relax, but the Bee Man's ears were very sharp.

"I didn't think this was just a social visit," he began, "I've never seen Tauron in armor of any kind nor have I seen him in such company. You have questions. I will answer them as best I can."

Tauron cleared his throat. "Bee Man, I'm not sure how much you know about doings at the castle. Raiders have been attacking farms and trade caravans, sometimes killing people in their attacks. There have been goblins, orcs, and other monster races. A group of these fought a group of men from the castle and other defenders, killed many, but also captured some and took them alive. Our mission is to find the place these creatures live, find out as much as we can about them, and hopefully rescue any of our brothers who still live. We hope that you, in your wanderings, might have information that would help us."

For the first time since they had entered his glade, the Bee Man frowned. "Those are not good tidings, my young man," the hermit said, "And I cannot help you. Yes, some creatures like that have come close to this place, but the bees are very protective of the glade. None of those who trespass with evil intent ever make it this far; the swarms drive them off. Each of the times they have tried, they came from a different route, so I do not even have a direction to provide to you. I am truly sorry. I know what those kinds of creature are capable of, and it would not be a good thing for these woods for them to have a long-term lair nearby."

"Thank you for your time, Bee Man," Arthos said with a sigh.

"And for the honey," Silva gushed, "It was delicious."

It was past noon now but the air had chilled a bit while they had been indoors and a stronger breeze blew. The troupe hiked a little ways away into the woods then stopped to talk.

"What other options do we have," Eluthera asked, "We could find a good place to watch the road, hope that we can catch them during a raid."

"No, I have at least one more source of information in this area," Tauron said.

Silva nodded, "I wondered if you would suggest them." When the others just looked on with confused expressions, Silva added, "The Saurians."

To make sure everyone understood Tauron also added, "The Lizard Folk."