Title: Never Too Late
Author: Sam
Series: The Never-ending Story 29 / 33
Rating: PG-13: Violence, sexual innuendoes, undead, language
Setting: Autumn 1991: The Realm of Dungeons & Dragons
Characters & Ages: Eric- 22; Uni- 18 (Elf) but 8 (unicorn); Terri- 17; Amber- adult; Presto- 22; Ayisha- 22; Hank- 22 going on 23; Timothy- 17; Raevonn- adult; Freddie (Fritz)- 9 (assumed)
Summary: Eric and his group finally arrive at the Wall of Souls.
Feedback: Please? I love comments.
xxx
Eric slipped back to the small campfire and the girls he had left there. He sank to the ground, sitting between Uni and Terri, a worried frown on his handsome face. Grabbing his shield, he started checking the leather straps that held it to his arm. They were fine; he just needed to be doing something to clear his thoughts.
Neither young woman commented on their male companion's restlessness. Terri stirred the cooking food, keeping their breakfast from burning, while Uni ran the alicorn absently through her fingers. Perched comfortably on the pile of Eric's armor and their packs, Amber watched the trio with unblinking gold eyes.
Finally, Eric looked at the others and spoke. "If Bobby has brains, he'll have crossed over and scaled one of the cliffs to the west or east last night. There's an army camped in the central valley."
Amber rose and stretched her wings, the morning light gilding her marigold scales a molten gold color. "We expected the army," she said in her lilting voice.
"Maybe you did," Eric said, his tone short. With a sigh, he put down his shield and rose to his feet, bare since he'd had to leave his armored shoes behind during his reconnaissance. "Sorry, Amber. I know you guys were raising an army but I just didn't picture what they'd be fighting." He ran a tanned hand through his shoulder-length black hair.
Terri stopped stirring and pulled the pot of stew from the fire. She silently filled four bowls, one smaller than the others, and handed them round. When she gave Eric his, last, denim blue eyes met brown-black ones. Her voice was quiet, steady, as she asked, "and what will they be facing, Eric?"
Taking the bowl from the younger woman, the twenty-two year old sighed. Blowing on the reheated stew, he glanced towards the valley beyond the rise above them. "Orcs with pikes," he said, "men with swords and lances, horses in barding, goblin archers, and a pack of wolves so far."
"Wolves?" Uni's head shot up and her maroon eyes widened. Her grip tightened on the alicorn.
The Cavalier nodded his dark head, lifting a spoonful of stew to his mouth. Before eating it, he softly said, "yeah. Kelek's here."
Uni swore softly then put the alicorn in her lap. She lifted her bowl from the ground and began to eat carefully; she didn't want to burn her mouth. The former unicorn refused to look at her partners, mind racing over the implications that the man who'd tried to murder the last unicorn herd was among the collected enemy.
Lowering his spoon, Eric lightly shoved Uni's shoulder with his own. "What's up, Kid?" He purposely lightened his voice to a teasing tone. He hated Uni introspective and morose.
She looked at him, sunlight striking sparks of fire in her red hair. Pushing the long mass from her pale face, she said, "I don't think I want to meet with Kelek. That wizard is evil."
He couldn't help it. Eric let out a sharp, if quiet, laugh. "That whole damned army's evil, Uni!" He shot her a grin and was relieved when she hesitantly smiled back.
"Damned is right," Amber piped up. "There's zombies, ghasts, and wraiths involved according to some of the information we've gotten.
Terri shuddered, putting her bowl on the ground. She'd lost her appetite. Lifting troubled eyes, she looked to Eric in the absence of the much-preferred strength of Bobby. "Dead things? I thought that was exaggeration."
The Faerie Dragon corrected, "undead."
The seventeen year old shook her head, black ponytail swinging agitatedly. "I don't care what they're called. I sure don't want to meet them. I think we need to get in there and out before night falls again!" She stood, rubbing her hands down her soft trousers, wet streaks appearing as she rubbed the sudden sweat into the cloth.
Eric reached over and pulled Terri down beside him once more. He wrapped a strong arm around her and gave a brief squeeze before letting the teen go. His light baritone was soothing as he said, "it's not like those B-movies back on Earth, Terri. In the Realm, the undead walk during the day, too. Rest. Eat. I have no plans of meeting up with any creeps."
She looked at him, an unspoken argument in her eyes. Finally, with a sigh, she picked her bowl up and started toying with the spoon. "Eric, I hate it here. I'm always so scared."
The man looked at her over his bowl, spoon in his mouth. He smiled before removing it, swallowing and grinning wider. "Terri, you think I'm not scared? If I was standing, my knees would give out." His voice sounded playful, not frightened in the least. "You forget which Child of Power you're dealing with here. I'm the Cavalier, remember: the one who hides behind a shield while everyone else does the real fighting?" He seemed unaware that his voice had turned bitter as he dropped his spoon into his empty bowl, his smile fading. "I'm the one DM didn't feel rated a real weapon." He looked at her, his grin twisted now. "Even the nine year old got a weapon, but good ol' Eric gets a shield so he can run and hide."
Uni snorted, sounding more equine than Elfish. When both her human companions turned to her in surprise, she let out a small derisive laugh. "I guess Sheila'd feel the same way then? All she had was a cloak that made her disappear. At least you can run into the middle of battle without fear of being hurt. You can jump in front of people. You can. . ."
Eric's snicker alerted Uni to her mistake. Her long-term companion had been using his legendary sarcasm and bitterness to distract Terri from her fear; she wouldn't have known he'd changed from the old self-centered Eric. Frowning, the redhead shook her head. She thought she'd figured out when Eric was making one of his derisive jokes, but he continued to surprise her. With a glare, she lifted her eyes and said, "Myeah, some coward, Airk. You protect others with little thought for yourself. Stop whining for attention."
He laughed, covering his mouth quickly to muffle the sound. They weren't too close to the valley encampments, but he didn't relish possible scouts finding them.
Terri looked from Uni to Eric and back to Uni. She couldn't understand how Uni had figured Eric was joking about being bitter over his lack of a weapon. It was exactly how she felt after all. She had a pendant, hardly a weapon of mass destruction.
Golden light lit Terri's eyes, blurring the denim blue into a bright golden luminescence. Her locket glowed in equal golden brilliance. The world faded around her.
In the skies overhead, several figures clashed, diving and climbing in aerial combat. To the far west hung a large metallic object and to the far right a figure in blue armor rode astride a black stallion with flames for mane and tail. Nearby the skeletal body of a dragon swooped, radiating unholy evil. Across the middle of the valley flew a giant bird of prey, brown and white, the tall brown-haired rider lying low on the bird's back. A five-headed dragon burst into the sky surrounded by a bright white light, screaming her defiance at the world.
"Yo, Terri! Wake up, Girl!"
The girl blinked her eyes, the gold fading once more to a darkened blue, her body shaking. A moment later she realized that her body was being shaken; Eric firmly gripped both of her shoulders and shook her rapidly as he called to her.
"Wake up, Terri!"
"I - - " she shook her head and looked up at him, "I'm awake, Eric."
He immediately let her go. "What happened, Terri?" Eric's voice softened, worry ranging through it. His eyes were full of the same concern.
Uni laid a hand on Terri's arm but the brunette hardly noticed. Instead, she answered, "I saw something: a huge bird and a flaming horse and a skeleton dragon and a five-headed dragon in the skies overhead." She blinked and reached up a hand to touch the still-warm locket at her throat. "I think I saw the future."
Eric frowned at that. He took time choosing his words. "I thought you weren't supposed to have any more future dreams."
Terri nodded, placing a hand on his knee. "I can't." At the man's confusion, she added, "it's okay, Eric. Dungeon Master explained that I see the future while awake now. My ability is stronger, he says."
"I'd rather have a shield," he shuddered. Taking a deep breath, he stalled her next words by questioning, "so we get to fight Big Bird, Nightmare, Tiamat and her anorexic cousin?"
She couldn't help it; Terri giggled. "Big Bird? Eric, that's silly." She covered her mouth and couldn't resist adding, "Big Bird's too busy learning Spanish to fight here. And he wasn't fighting us. That bird was fighting the horse."
"Good," Uni added, sounding pleased. "That means we'll have an ally in the air."
"While we hide on the ground," Eric added decisively. He shot the girls a grim smile then relaxed to a regular grin. "Now, we have to figure out how to break our spy out of the prison on the hill - - oh, and how to avoid all those undead-and how to get by that army without being captured." He shook his head and reached for one of his armored shoes. "It would sure help if we knew what the spy looked like. All we know is that it's a woman, right?" He looked up and all movement froze as he caught Amber's serious look.
"Sheila has waist-length red hair and big green-blue eyes. She wears a brown dress," the Faerie Dragon offered eagerly.
Three voices united in shock. "Sheila?"
"Oh no," Terri groaned, covering her face with her hands as Uni shook her head and looked worried. Eric grumbled under his breath, his expression dark. Amber looked at her friends in exasperation. "What?"
"Does Bobby know it's Sheila that's captive?" Terri's voice sounded desperate, afraid.
"Yes," Amber replied, looking from one to another of her companions. "But that would be good, right? He's her brother. . ."
"And will kill anyone who hurts his sister if he's grown up the way he was headed as a kid," Eric ground out.
Terri nodded in agreement. "He's been obsessed with coming back and saving her. It's practically all he thought about back home. He started failing school and he quit baseball and. . ."
Eric shoved his other foot in its metal shoe, grimly, all playfulness lost. "Yeah, quitting baseball for Bobby's like giving up my allowance back home. Not good." He looked towards the valley between them and their goal. "We need to get in there before Bobby does something stupid."
"But how to get past that army?" Uni asked softly.
As if to make up for something she'd had no control over, Amber hesitantly offered an answer. "I have a way."
xxx
Voices across the hall drew Hank's attention from the window and the dog, now out of sight. The rough sounds of heavy boots moving restlessly seemed strange after the shuffling noises of the zombies. But a voice was practically unheard of: zombies didn't talk. Hank left the window to move painfully past their discarded armor to the cell door.
A thick-set red-haired man blocked the doorway of the cell directly across, which was wide open. He glared at one of the orcs and told him to leave the door unlocked. The small troop headed towards the far east of the prison corridor. The man turned back to the prisoners in the cell. Unnoticed or unheeded, a second man approached from the southern exit, moving softly towards the other man, most probably one worked for the other.
Disgust welled up in Hank as he heard the man's words. He was propositioning the woman, threatening her with the Wall or sex. The Ranger forced down the anger, though his hands shook. The prisoner couldn't defend herself and that meant the man could force her compliance, an act tantamount to rape in Hank's eyes. Gripping the bars in rising frustration, Hank clenched his teeth, mind racing over possible distractions.
The distraction came in the form of the second man, much to Hank's surprise.
The blond in the helmet never took his eyes off the taller redhead. Instead, he gripped his club and said, calmly but with real menace in his low baritone, "leave my sister alone."
Time seemed to speed up then. The blond attacked the older man and helped the two women escape their cell.
Hank smiled as he realized one of the escapees was Sheila. He watched as the trio moved down the hall then groaned when zombies seemed to come out of nowhere, rounding the western bend and easily capturing the escaped women and their would-be rescuer. The man never used his club on them, which was pretty smart to Hank's thinking; he'd seen the frenzy the zombies had gone into earlier when he'd used his bow.
Now they had another prisoner, but the zombies didn't bring the trio back to the opposite cell. Rather, they locked them into a cell closer to where they'd been captured. Hank frowned at the added barrier to communicating with and freeing his long-ago friend. He barely noticed as the zombies locked the unconscious man into the cell across the way: served him right for trying to force himself on a weaker person.
Hank turned back to his own cellmates, noticing the matching frowns on Timothy's and Raevonn's faces. He walked towards them but stopped. Surprise registered in his voice. "Timothy, you've stopped bleeding."
Raevonn snorted and rolled her eyes. "That was the intention of the soothing," she said, though it added little clarity. Using the wall to support her, the Elf sank to the floor slowly, wincing as her legs bent and her ankle shifted against the wall painfully. With a sigh, she looked back to Hank. "I'm in no shape to actually heal someone, but cauterizing is little more than child's play."
"I appreciate it all the same," Timothy smiled at the battered Elf. He carefully slid down next to her, taking care not to reopen the gash on his leg. Turning, he asked, "what's happening out there, Hank?" The Knight feared the dog had been seen.
The Ranger's voice was grim. "Some man came in and tried to threaten Sheila. A blond with a. . . Bobby!" He whirled back to the window, as if he would still see the man who'd failed to rescue the Thief. "Bobby tried to rescue her." Satisfaction welled and he refused to tamp it down. "Her abuser is locked up now."
"Tried?" Timothy asked, warily. "But not succeeded?"
Hank turned and shook his head, frowning once more. "No, zombies on patrol caught the three of them and put them in a cell further down."
The Healer nodded. "At least it was patrol and not clumsiness. Eliavah has enough guilt to bear." She didn't explain her charge nor did the men ask.
Unlike the others, Hank didn't sit on the dirty straw of the cold floor, nor did he lean on the equally chilly stone walls. Since he only wore his trousers and boots, he didn't want to risk the cold. Rather, he moved to the outside cell window, looking to the ghast-occupied crevices. Had the dog made it? Was Varla still free? Was Presto and his friend? Too many questions and not enough answers.
Outside a freezing rain blew over from the east. Shock coursed over the Ranger and he wrapped his arms around himself to try to block the sudden cold. The pair on the floor looked up in surprise but couldn't see as much as Hank: the ice was settling over those crevices and cave mouths. The ghasts were being sealed in! How the. . . ? Presto, of course.
Hank smiled grimly. He looked down at the others and whispered, "Presto's still free, I think. Someone's frozen the ghasts in their caves."
Timothy pumped a hand in the air but didn't let loose the whoop of sudden joy. "Best news all day," he added quietly, grinning widely. "A wizard on our side'll be a good thing. Think he knows we're in here?"
With a snort, Hank moved back towards the cell door, smiling. "I hope so. I did try to save him from that vampire. I think he might have noticed the arrows."
A chuckle escaped the Knight and he fell into a more positive contemplation of their situation.
A born worrier, Hank wished he could be as positive.
He didn't have long to worry as a strong female voice echoed down the hall: "Hey, Sheila, you guys might want to cover your eyes." That voice was familiar, and the warning was implicit.
Quickly, he turned his face from the hallway, closing his eyes. "Close your eyes, guys. Keep them shut." His tone of command brought instant obedience from both the Knight and the Healer, which was fortunate.
The voice called out "Alright, Dekion, let's light this place up!"
Even through his eyelids, Hank could see the bright light emanating down the corridor. Several prisoners gasped as they were blinded by the unexpected radiance. The man across the way began to swear loudly but nobody paid him any mind. Hank grinned to think that the jerk had awoken to being blinded, no matter how temporary. It was just another small justice against a predator.
Sounds of fighting broke through Hank's contemplation and he grinned wider. Whoever the unknown woman was, she was rescuing Sheila and Bobby. Apparently, Varla's friends had come through.
xxx
Sun glinted off his highly polished armor, gilding it gold and deep sapphire, running the length of the great sword's blade. Normally Eric had no problem with being the center of attention. Well, except when he felt everyone was seizing him up for a tasty meal or a hasty rip down. Striding down a cracked rock-strewn road between camps full of orcs, goblins, men, and any number of other enemies reminded him of one of Amelia's, his step-mother's, society parties: everyone seemed to be seizing him up as dinner or desert. He felt even more on edge with the knowledge that he had no clue how to use the stupid sword he carried so blatantly in his right hand. With Amber curled on his head, shining molten golden-orange in the morning light and resembling some hunting trophy, Eric felt he bordered on the over conspicuous.
It was well and good to tell Eric he was the perfect man to play an aristocrat: he'd had the upbringing for it. But it had been years since he'd suffered through one of Amelia's society charity parties as the sole male heir to the Montgomery fortune. Eric had never been entirely comfortable when his parents had trotted him out at those parties and back then all he'd had to face for failure was a lecture on how he never measured up to the Montgomery standard.
Now, there were four lives on the line if he failed.
The girls depended on him to pull this off. Something Pamela, his father's third wife, said to him floated to the fore: 'act like you belong here and no one will dare question you.' He hoped to God she was right. He stepped forward, shoulders back, head held high, as if he owned the place.
On the man's left and slightly behind walked Terri, Eric's provisions pack on her back and her own, with the net and wand, strapped to her front. Her long black hair lay coiled on top of her head, revealing a graceful neck and straight back, despite her servant's guise. On the right followed Uni, her hair equally styled, her pack on her back and carrying Eric's Griffon Shield, wrapped in his crimson cloak like another pack.
All together, Eric resembled an aristocratic warrior with two very attractive concubines and a right to approach the main fort. As long as he didn't panic. As long as no one wanted to see him use the heavy great sword or know how he managed to kill a Faerie Dragon and turn it into a helmet. The further Eric walked down the road, the more enemies he passed, the more the Cavalier wondered just how long Amber's disguise idea would hold up.
Uni's voice whispered softly from behind him, heartening him. "They look awed."
Terri's response of "and scared," made Eric's back straighten all the more.
He wasn't the fifteen year old boy that had constantly disappointed his father. He was his own man, grown and worth something on his own right. He could do this; he would do this.
At the bottom of the rough hewn rock steps Eric took a deep breath, feeling almost a letdown that it had been so easy. 'Yeah, right, that kind of easy I don't want to repeat.' He wondered if he should make a show of annoyance at the added labor of a long flight of hand-cut steps. No, a true warrior wouldn't even consider it an obstacle. Besides, Eric had climbed up the side of a mountain hand-over-hand while sick and carrying a terrified Elf on his back. These steps looked easy in comparison, though he didn't like the carvings creeping their way down the cliff - - they looked too much like body parts and pain-filled faces. Probably that was what had given this place the name Wall of Souls. Creepy.
Personally surprised no one had challenged them, Terri took the middle position, letting Uni take the rear. Terri had known Eric could be arrogant and commanding, but it was still hard to reconcile her past memory of the whiny scared teen with the confident silent man calmly climbing the cliff steps in front of her. She grew more confident with every step: they'd find Bobby and help rescue Sheila.
At the halfway point, Uni let out a bleat of shock and practically jumped onto Terri's back. The brunette whirled, catching the unsteady redhead with her free hand.
"What the hell, Uni?" Terry frowned; the other young woman looked terrified.
Eric sprinted back down several steps, moving smoothly past Terri to pull Uni into his arms. His left hand cupped the back of her head while he gently forced her face into his shoulder. His voice sounded soft but sure, "calm down, Little Unicorn. I have you." His right hand held the sword, point down, out of danger's way.
Terri shook her head in confusion and moved down a step to give the pair room - - and avoid Eric's lethal-looking great sword. "What's wrong with her?"
The former unicorn trembled as she burrowed against Eric.
He looked over Uni's head at Terri. His voice remained just as soft as he answered, "she's afraid of heights. Gets unbalanced." Softly he stroked Uni's neck with gentle fingers.
"Oh," Terri bit her lip and glanced back down the steps they had already climbed. "Don't look down?" she offered, feeling useless.
A trembling of a different sort brought a relieved smile to Eric's face and he shot Terri a thankful grin. "That's right, Little Unicorn. Laugh at Terri." He did not take his eyes from Terri's face as he winked at the brunette but continued to talk to the redhead. "Terri's silly and needs to be put in her place."
Terri covered her mouth with one hand, holding back her own laughter. She idly wondered if Eric had always used his biting wit to control how other people perceived him. Right now he sounded like he was so superior to Terri, but she could tell by his reassuring smile and wink that he didn't mean it; he was merely trying to distract Uni.
The Dreamer looked up the steps; they were halfway there. "Maybe if I walk behind and carry that sword you could lead Uni up the. . . ah!" Terri jumped up a step much as Uni had.
Uni and Eric looked down at her in shock, though Uni immediately groaned and burrowed against Eric again.
"What the hell, Terri?" he unconsciously echoed the seventeen year old's words of earlier. "Damn! Don't pass out on me - - " Eric wondered how he was supposed to help both women with only one hand available, and that one stroking Uni's soft skin. He flushed and pushed away the unexpected thought.
"It grabbed me!" Terri choked on a terrified sob and she moved up another step.
Uni whimpered and nodded.
Frowning, Eric looked at the steps but saw nothing out of the ordinary: hand hewn rock lined with grotesque grey-flesh carvings down the right side - - he shook his head. "You got caught on the carving?"
The teen glared up at the man fiercely. "No, idiot," she ignored the surprise that widened his dark brown eyes. "The carving grabbed me. And don't you dare tell me I'm imagining things, because I'm not!"
They were fortunately far enough from the valley encampments to be observed too well. The knowledge that the mighty warrior allowed his concubines to yell at him would be incentive enough to challenge the richly dressed human.
Eric didn't argue with Terri though she expected it. Rather, he looked down at the still trembling redhead in his arms. "Uni, did the wall try to trip you, too?"
The slender Elf whimpered her agreement, not looking down that vast rise of steps they'd already climbed and she'd nearly fallen back down. She'd had enough trouble with the cliff steps, but to have the rock carving trying to throw her down the mountain was too much. She refused to let Eric go, thankful that he didn't try to make her.
"Right. Amber," Eric carefully studied the grotesque designs. He could see that they seemed to move, but - -
"Yes, Eric?"
"What do you know about this place?" Eric stroked his fingers on Uni's neck again, telling himself he was only trying to soothe her.
The Faerie Dragon kept her voice low as she said, "the wall eats people?"
"Hell!" Eric's shock came out in a near yell. He thrust Uni away from the designed side of the steps towards the plain side; she whimpered in frightened protest. "Terri. . ."
But the brunette had already jumped, checking that the left was truly as innocent as it looked. It never moved.
Eric heaved a frustrated sigh and passed the heavy sword to Terri, who took it without a word. Carefully, he slipped his right arm under Uni's knees and swung her up into his arms, growling, "Amber, you and I need to talk about your love of dramatic reveals." With that, he turned and began to slowly climb the rock stairs, avoiding the dangerous right side. He didn't put Uni down until they'd reached the top and moved a few feet away from that horrific wall. The stench of rotting flesh and human wasted permeated the hot stale air.
Thank goodness he was in shape after the years of living on his own with only Uni. Eric breathed heavily but wasn't winded. He looked over the tall stone fort to the left, west he supposed, and the long L-shaped prison building directly in front, north. Surprisingly, no one came out to challenge them, though two people lay on the roof watching them. Guards?
A large furry brown and grey animal bounded over, limping, dirty and matted. His tongue lolled out, his tail wagged low, and he whimpered, his entire body quivering with joy. His movement drew the small group's attention, and Eric fumbled the cloak from where it was tied to Uni's front, trying to get to his shield.
Terri dropped the great sword as shock coursed through her. She sank to her knees, trembling as much as the dog. "Freddie?" When he yelped in response, she sobbed and threw her arms around the bedraggled dog. "Freddie!"
Hating himself for breaking up the joyous reunion of girl and pet, Eric put a hand to the teen's shoulder. "We've got to get moving, Terri."
"Over here." The soft, feminine whisper drew his attention towards the east of the prison though he couldn't see anyone. "Hurry. The zombies will patrol outside any moment."
Nodding, Eric scooped up the sword with one hand and his shield with the other. Uni grabbed his cloak from in front of her feet and tugged Terri's arm. The younger teen rose, one hand on Freddie's head, as she followed the others to the far side of the prison.
Lowering her hood, Varla revealed herself.
Eric jumped and frowned. "You're not Sheila." He was dead certain of that fact, despite the years since he'd seen his friend. "And why do you have her cloak?" He glanced at the woman's hand, "and Hank's bow?" Before she could answer, he recalled Marinda and Jaref at Ramuud's camp. "Varla?"
Amber happily unwound herself from Eric's head and flew to her favorite perch on the Illusionist's shoulder.
Varla nodded and gestured towards the roof. "No time. They'll come soon. Presto, help us up!"
Four hands immediately came down over the edge of the roof, one set dark the other tanned, both feminine looking. Eric didn't question the hands. He merely grabbed Uni and pushed her up to the waiting darker pair. He grabbed Varla and pushed her at the lighter pair. When both women disappeared over the top, he turned to Terri. "Here, I can get the dog if you get the sword."
She nodded and he thrust the handle at her. She took it. When the hands, four pairs this time, appeared again, Eric picked up Terri without warning and thrust her upward. He scooped up the injured, stinking dog and choked back a gag and pushed the dog high above his head. Two people grabbed the animal, leaving the last set of feminine hands: the tanned ones. Eric grabbed them and walked up the wall as the unknown person pulled.
Once over the edge, he was stunned to find the hands belonged to a tall, slender ginger-haired man with glasses and an overbite. "Presto?"
The Magician laughed softly, hugging his long-time friend. "Be quiet, Eric. Zombies aren't the only things guarding this place." He grinned as he released the startled Cavalier. "Man, am I glad to see you, Eric. When I saw you guys coming, I thought we'd have another fight on our hands." Presto glanced over the group, noting the unfamiliar redhead and brunette, but smiling widely at Amber and Varla.
Varla hugged Presto then turned to hug Eric, too. She looked at the dog and sighed, "and Fritz got out."
"Fritz?" Terri looked up. "His name's Freddie. We got separated years ago." The brunette fumbled in the pack still strapped to her front. "How's this work, Uni?"
"Uni?" Three voices joined in surprise as the Elf knelt to lay the Net of Healing over the dog.
Eric held up his hands. "Yeah. DM turned her into an Elf. Something we've got to fix later." His eyes roved over Varla, still wearing the cloak and holding Hank's bow, to scan Presto in his trousers and tunic, hat tucked into his belt for ready use, to settle on the exotic beauty next to Presto. "Ah, Ayisha, right?"
"Hello, My Brother, it is good to see you again." She hugged Eric lightly then moved on to greet Varla at last. "You hid us earlier, My Sister. I thank you."
Varla smiled shyly at the pretty dark-haired woman.
A soft glow from the net interrupted the greetings. The dog slowly gained strength, his wounds closing and healing even if the blood remained caked in his fur. He sat up, the net falling to the rooftop. Terri threw her arms around him as Uni began to fold the net.
Looking up with a smile for all her re-found friends, Uni softly said, "we still need to rescue Sheila. Did Bobby make it yet? He left before us."
"So," Presto sat on the roof, joined by the others, "that was Bobby we saw." At Terri and Uni's worried looks, he chuckled softly. "He's fine. He's over on the other side of the fort with Sheila, Diana, Dekion if I heard right, and another girl I don't know."
"Dekion's here?" Eric grinned at that bit of luck. He turned to Terri. "Did you see a man on Big Bird? 'Cause if you did, that was Dekion. And, yeah, he's a good guy."
Terri nodded silently as Ayisha mouthed the words 'Big Bird.'
Varla spoke up. "Hank and Timothy are still in there."
"We've got to get them out," Presto added.
Too familiar with the old Presto and his aborted attempts at magic, Eric held up a hand. "Uni and I will go after Hank and his friend."
Several voices rose in protest, but Terri's was the one that drew Eric's attention. Surprised, he asked, "Terri? If Bobby's free, why'd you want to go in against those undead?"
She paled and stiffened her spine. "Because I'm sick of being afraid." Quickly she laid a hand on Eric's arm. "You're right, Eric - - about the shield thing." Her words made no sense to Presto, Ayisha, or Varla, but no one interrupted. "Dungeon Master gave a weapon to a nine year old and a shield to you. But I saw you still do several brave things in the last hour without the shield."
A flush crept up the Cavalier's neck at the unexpected praise.
Terri continued. "I'm not going to let fear dictate to me anymore. I can do this."
Ayisha smiled at Terri in approval and picked up the great sword. "You'll need a lighter weapon, My Sister."
A small laugh escaped the Dreamer, but Varla jumped in. "Don't go in loud or react violently or quickly. It sends the zombies into a frenzy and any that were left from Diana's raid on this prison will be close to frenzy."
"And watch out for the vampire," Presto added. "I'll try to keep the orcs and ghasts busy again."
Eric opened his mouth but Ayisha interrupted him. "Leave the weapon and net here and your packs. You will move quicker that way." She reached over for Uni's backpack.
Feeling almost overwhelmed by the advice from all sides, Eric briefly wished it was just him and Uni again. He'd grown used to the solitude it seemed. Frowning, the Cavalier helped Terri out of his supply pack then reached into hers and withdrew the wand. He handed it to Varla. "I promised your mother I'd give you a Weapon of Power. It chains people so don't aim it at a friend."
"Mother? How. . ."
"They're both fine," Eric said. Holding up a hand, he continued, "Ramuud is bandaged but walking around. Kosar's unhurt. Lorne knocked himself sillier, but Marinda's nursing him. And Jaref has taken over the caravan." He grinned at Varla and Ayisha. "Or at least it seems he did."
"Wow!" Presto laughed, "some class reunion, huh?"
Eric blinked in momentary confusion but Terri laughed into her hand.
Soon the trio was ready. Eric touched Varla's arm. "Stay here, or I'll never hear the end of it from your father. This time he might kill me."
"Oh?" Ayisha's dark eyes flashed in amused curiosity. "What did you do to her last time, My Brother?" There was little chance of misinterpreting the suggestive tone of her voice.
Flushing hotly, Eric choked as Uni snorted and Presto laughed low. "Only tried to scream his way out of prison, Ayisha. Amber?" The Magician turned to the Faerie Dragon. "Will you go or stay? If you stay, your earth magic will be really useful."
The small dragon contemplated a moment then said, "I stay, Presto."
"Stay, " Terri said softly, stroking gentle fingers through Freddie's matted fur. The dog whimpered as protest.
Before Terri could command him, Varla said, "he will know where Hank and Timothy are held. He was with us when they were captured. I don't know how he escaped, but he knows their scents."
Terri looked at her dog and sighed, hugging him again. "Oh, okay. Find Hank, Freddie."
The dog perked up. He sprang to his feet and started sniffing along the edge of the roof. His movement was arrested by Eric's hand on his ruff.
"You'll fall off, Silly Mutt," he said affectionately. He'd been secretly fond of the dog last time they'd met. "Look, I'll climb down after the brain-dead patrol and you guys lower the dog to me. Uni and Terri climb down after and we'll go hunt up Hank and this Timothy guy."
"A Knight," Varla smiled at Eric.
"Yeah," he looked at her askance then over the edge of the roof. "Sir Timothy, then." He ignored her soft laugh as he saw the guards rounding the back of the prison. "Shhh. . . they're here."
Long minutes passed as the group watched the shuffling zombies slam on one barred window after another. They headed west to east, moving directly under the friends until they rounded the corner where orcs lay in sleeping heaps in and around the open eastern door. When the zombies came upon the spelled sleepers, they moaned and fell on the defenseless meal.
Presto paled, Uni buried her face in Eric's neck, and Terri covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to heave. The group moved shakily to just above the southern main door.
Gulping, Presto pointed to it. "The others went in and out here," his voice sounded hoarse and he cleared his throat with a low cough.
"Great," Eric eased Uni from him. "That's the way we'll go." He glanced towards the east wall but knew those zombies wouldn't be coming around anytime soon. Eric climbed over the edge of the roof and lowered himself carefully to the ground one story below, letting go and dropping the last few feet.
Uni and Terri came next, helped by Presto and Ayisha from the roof and Eric from the ground. Last, they lowered the wriggling Freddie, who calmed as soon as Eric grasped him. Setting the dog on the ground, the Cavalier straightened the shield on his right arm and looked the Terri.
She nodded. "Freddie, find Hank."
The trio cautiously followed the eager dog into the cold prison.
xxx
"Ranger - - where is the Weapon of Power?" The well-dressed man leaned over Hank, the young blond's shoulders held in a steely ice-cold group. A pair of zombies each held the brown-haired Knight and the Elf, talons drawing pin-pricks of blood where they scraped skin. "I saw you use it. The energy glow was unmistakable."
Hank looked at the vampire, his gut twisting. In as steady a voice as he could muster, he answered, "I lost it when the guards grabbed me."
The vampire curled his lip back in a sneer, a long menacing double-canine briefly revealed. His voice remained calm as he asked, "who was the woman who stole my Elf?"
Raevonn stiffened in her captors' grip, ignoring the pain of the razor-sharp claws. The vampire noticed and grinned widely. Without moving from where he held Hank against the wall, he pinned Raevonn with his hypnotic stare.
"Another Elf - - you came with that slayer group." His chuckle was delighted malice. "Foolish little Elves. Now you are only two. You did see the other one die this morning." It was not a question.
The Healer spat at the vampire, finding her mark on his well-tailored tunic. As he lifted an eyebrow, she growled out, "you may have murdered my husband, but I will live far longer than you, Unholy One." She tore one arm from the zombie's grasp.
"No, Raevonn, stop." Hank's tone commanded instant obedience for all the softness of his tone. "I don't know who that woman was," he answered the vampire.
With a low growl, Raevonn allowed the zombie to recapture her. She kept her eyes on the vampire.
For his part, the undead creature merely looked back at the quiet Ranger. "So, you would protect these mortals when you could be immortal?" His tone registered amusement. "You do not realize the power of those weapons, Ranger. If the proper combination were to join, it could create the most powerful being in all the Realms," he leaned closer as if to impart a secret of the greatest importance, "or destroy it."
Hank turned his head to look the vampire directly in the eyes, their faces mere breaths apart. "So the loss of my weapon ruins your plans to kill your master and take over." The blond stiffened as the icy fingers left his shoulder and gripped his chin.
"Ah, brains as well as beauty?" The vampire looked smug. He sealed a kiss over Hank's mouth then nipped the man's lower lip, pulling back, licking the fresh drops of blood from his own pale lips.
The Ranger never flinched though he fought shock and nausea. He narrowed light blue eyes, watching the vampire warily. Softly, he said, "you will fail." He didn't elaborate, didn't expose the army's plans for this foul beast.
"Perhaps," the vampire allowed, "but you will not live to see it." He let the man go, stepping gracefully out of the way as two zombies grasped the injured Ranger tightly. The vampire walked to the door. "Shall we meet your husband, Elf?" He laughed, ignoring the Healer's cry of rage and walking from the room. The zombies followed with their injured captives.
At the north door, the vampire watched as a patrol of zombies passed, banging on windows to keep the prisoners unbalanced. When the group shuffled around the east wall an unholy moan erupted and the vampire smiled. He looked into the hall at his prisoners. "That will be Varen's orc mercenaries. Someone used a Weapon of Power to eliminate them. Who was it? Who neutralized a battalion of orcs, my pretty one?"
Hank glared defiantly at the vampire but knew better than to pretend he wasn't the one being addressed. "I - - don't - - care - - " he ground out in a hard voice.
The vampire laughed and waved the zombies into the courtyard. "No matter. Your friend," he made the word an insult, "will not last long. I think your eternal life will make any foolish detractors rethink their positions." His eyes roved the Ranger briefly and he added softly, "a shame, really. I would have enjoyed teaching you pleasure."
The blond tried not to gag.
Timothy began struggling against his captors. If he would die, he'd go down fighting. Hank and Raevonn joined in the struggle. Stepping back, the vampire merely looked amused and raised a hand imperiously. He whistled two loud notes.
"You called?" Eric asked, stepping out the north door behind them. He'd seen them being led out the back as his group had come in the front.
"Ah," the vampire turned and smiled at the foursome.
Terri let out a scream upon seeing the face from her vision. It hadn't gone like this. They weren't standing above a battle.
Amused, the vampire ignored Terri's shock and leered at Uni. "You again - - how - - delicious."
The crack of Uni's Alicorn Whip brought laughter from the fiend as he easily jumped out of the way. She couldn't repeat the attack as a pair of ghasts swooped over her with exposed claws. Barking wildly, Freddie threw himself in the air towards the enemy, but he slammed hard mid-air into a ghast diving to obey its master. Terri tripped and fell to the ground, covering her head.
The ice had started melting and the ghasts began dropping heavy chunks of frozen water on their helpless victims. Raevonn couldn't move out of the way in time, tripping on her injured foot and falling to her knees with a yell of pain. Timothy lunged in front of her protectively but she was still hit by thrown ice, knocking her unconscious.
"Presto, some cover fire would be great!" Eric called out, diving over Terri, shield raised high. His protective field hummed to life, extending in a soft white-golden glow over the pair. "Now!" he yelled, pushing Terri back towards the prison.
A golden arrow shot from the roof, landing in the grotesque wall and sucking into the massed flesh. The vampire looked up, surprise finally wiping away the arrogant expression he'd worn. "The weapon!" He glared at Hank and lashed out with a clawed hand, screaming "you lied about the weapon! You don't control the Elf Bow!"
His strike missed as Eric jumped in front of him, taking the hit across his glowing shield. The vampire's strike skidded up the metal surface, claws screeching like nails on a chalkboard. Wild anger lit his dark blue eyes with an unholy glow. "You again!"
A quick jab of his other hand, low to Eric's hip, had the Cavalier lowering his shield slightly to adjust the protective range, still trying to keep Hank and Terri safe as well. Unfortunately, he failed to duck his head behind the now lowered shield.
The vampire's clawed hand hit him with the force of Bobby's Thunder Club.
Stars burst behind Eric's eyes and icy fire ripped through his head. Sudden dizziness drove the once more nauseous brunette to one knee. He heard the hissing of attacking ghasts mixed with groans from zombies and yells from his friends. Eric fought to his feet and lifted his shield high, swaying but determined not to give in to the weakness. He'd coped for six years, he would do it again. Concentrating, his eyes met those souless orbs of the vampire. "May wanna get lost," he said and lit the shield's full force-field, covering those behind him, trusting them to knock out the zombies in his field while he held off the ghasts and vampire. "Now, Presto!"
xxx
As soon as the ghasts broke through the ice, Ayisha pulled her father's Sonar Sword from its scabbard. Letting out an ululating war cry, she began to whirl and step around a pair of attacking ghasts. Her hair flew around her and her skirts whirled in a colorful prism of material. She moved with the grace of a dancer as she spun, slicing with the sword, sending an echo of pure sound at another ghast right near Presto.
He tore his eyes from the entrancing sight of the Dervish, flicking his hat out. He ducked a diving ghast as Varla began inexpertly firing Hank's bow, missing the enemy and hitting the writhing wall instead. "Good job, Varla!" True, she sucked at firing a bow, but at least she tried.
Amber was sitting on the roof edge, lifting rocks with her magic and tossing the missiles at various flying ghasts. She missed as much as she hit, but her enthusiasm was unmatched.
Presto threw himself down on the roof, leaning over the edge for a clearer view.
The brown-haired man in torn trousers was right below Presto, the Elf beside him on her knees, dazed. The man used his elbow as a weapon; he was unarmed and apparently hurt. "Hey," Presto yelled, assuming he was Varla's friend Timothy. "Sir Timothy!"
The Knight looked up quickly, "huh?" He limped to the side, avoiding a zombie and stepping in front of the half-conscious Healer.
"Watch out above!" Presto called, dragging the great sword over. He clutched it with both hands as he slipped it over the edge then dropped it, watching it fall to land with a clatter on the hard ground. When the teen scooped up the weapon, Presto turned his attention to the vampire now in the middle of the courtyard. A blond man with a bandaged torso stood too close to the enemy.
As the vampire tried to claw the man Presto assumed was Hank, Eric jumped in the way to block the blow.
Presto couldn't wait any longer. He had to risk hitting his friends with a spell; the undead force was growing as the feeding zombies finished their meal of orcs. Presto pushed away the resurging memory of Ramuud heavily bandaged.
Amber tossed another rock, catching Presto's attention. He grinned and scooped up a hand of wind-blown dust. Sprinkling it over his hat, he called out:
Shower dust and stone
Bones and flesh to shake
Undead caught in rocks
Buried by a quake
The ground began to shake and Eric was forced to hold his shield with both hands as he fought the spinning in his head the injury had caused. A rain of large boulders began to tumble down on the yard, slamming into anyone outside the protection aura of the Griffon Shield. The power of one large boulder staggered Eric and he gritted his teeth, trying to blink the blood from his eyes.
Stunned by the rock shower, Timothy scooped up Raevonn and dove for the prison door. They hadn't been close enough for Eric's shield and those boulders were lethal. He laid her on the cold stone floor and turned back, dodging to make it back to the sword only feet away. Limping, he stumbled, his hand clutching at the handle of the great sword. Picking it up, he headed back into the prison, stopping in the door to prevent the enemy following them. Timothy had seen the smaller stones the Faerie Dragon had been tossing into the fray; who'd have thought she could do this?
Feeling his strength waning, Eric called out, "run for it, Guys!" He kept his eyes on the vampire who busily side-stepped the aerial-borne landslide.
Terri gasped as a rock hit close to her. She grabbed Freddie by the collar and ruff, tugging with both hands. "C'mon, Freddie!" The Dreamer and her dog sprinted towards Timothy, still in the doorway. Uni followed right on her heels then the former unicorn dove past them into the protective stone building.
Wrapping his arms around Eric's torso, Hank screamed, "Move!" He began to guide the distracted, injured Cavalier to the safety of the prison. The pair made it through the door before Eric's arm fell, shaking, the shield going dark. One glance back out the door showed ghasts flying into their caves while the slower moving zombies were crushed. The vampire was nowhere to be seen; it was unclear if he was under the rock-fall or had escaped.
The group moved across the hall and out the front door, Timothy carrying Raevonn despite his own leg injury, and Hank guiding Eric. Once outside, facing the gathered army in the valley, the group stopped, pressing instinctively against the prison wall. The armies had been joined by others and the battle was beginning. In the air, sparkling energy of red, violet, yellow, and white crisscrossed high in the air, coming from the four compass directions and forming a glowing network of strands over the entire mountain and valley.
"What the hell?" Eric groaned out, hand going to his head to cover the injury above his eye.
Continued in Chapter Thirty: Pieces on the Board
