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Part XII
Night of Somnus, Eighth Day of Autumnmoon
When night fell, Józef Brandt led his companions eastward in search of the den of a dragon weevil. Inside, he hoped to find an egg, whose yoke contained magical enzymes that were known to cure any disease or sickness. It was an old Kitezhian remedy, one which he hoped would cure the magic-induced toxin plaguing Rosa Reynolds, and fulfill his end of the bargain with the Gnostic Knight, Bram Morrison.
He rode with the others atop Géorg Töller's sandskipper for as far as it would take them. His white wizards helped to chart a course along the land's contours, so that Géorg could pilot through the darkness at high speeds. Several times, they ran into nocturnal beasts, such as a basilisk wandering in search of food. Fortunately, the darkness protected those on board from its petrifying gaze. More aggressive spawn such as goblins were dealt with by Józef's soldiers. Bram was also quite experienced in vanquishing these petty creatures, and he offered his assistance on several occasions.
The empty plains soon gave way to cluttered mires with rotted tree stumps and dense undergrowth. When Géorg's sandskipper could travel no further, the party broke into a smaller group, led by Konrad. Józef had to insist on coming along, even though Konrad pled with him to remain at a safe distance. Józef suggested taking Bram, as well as two soldiers and a white wizard. The rest stayed behind to watch over Rosa and Uriana, and to protect the sandskipper. With everything settled, the six men ventured into the swamp in search for the ultimate cure.
The marsh itself spanned ten or more leagues further north and to the east. In spite of the icy weather, the sod would not frost. Many spawn inhabited the area, and some experts speculated that the ground itself could be a living creature. Carnivorous plants dangled innocent vines from trees in hopes that an animal—or person—would brush up against them. Poisonous vipers lay quietly under stagnant water, waiting for prey to come within striking distance. Quicksand was plentiful, proving that even the earth itself could eat a man. Only those familiar with the terrain knew how to make it through alive.
Józef remained cautious throughout the expedition. His father had taken him to the marshes several times as a youth. They hunted rare fowl called windriders—marked by the large plumes of silver feathers that came from their tail. Many of the most affluent Kitezhians made it a sport, albeit a very dangerous one. Even so, Henrich Brandt always seemed to have a hunger for peril. Józef wondered if Konrad relived the same level of anxiety as under his father's reign.
"Your Majesty," Bram whispered from his side. The young king turned to give the knight his full attention. "Tell me which signs I should look for when tracking a dragon weevil."
Józef was happy to share his knowledge. "They are similar to insects. As you already know, they make their nests underground, which will appear to us as mounds of mud. They also molt this time of year, so we may find empty husks where they have left behind their carapaces. They prey on small animals, which they later regurgitate into pellets. They look like shiny stones, but if you crack one open, you will find the carcass inside."
Bram nodded. Meanwhile, the others fanned out slowly, taking care to watch where they stepped. One wrong move and the swamp would devour them in short order. Józef explained how to watch for quicksand, sinkholes, or razorbeetle burrows. Each hazard had its own signs, and the bog had enough of them that the group would likely encounter a few before reaching their destination.
Given the heavy cloud cover, the only light was one that weakly emanated from a magical sphere cast by their young male white wizard. It floated nearby and helped to keep some of the swamp's other dangers at bay. Many of the world's most venomous creatures roamed the marsh at night, but fortunately refused to hunt outside of total darkness.
One of the soldiers found the remains of a dragon weevil shell. Its size and shape quickly identified it as coming from a female, mature enough to lay eggs. The party was overjoyed at the find, but careful to maintain their due diligence.
Another of Józef's men had the misfortune of running into a poisonous plant called a köderbuchse. This unique shrub reproduced by dangling its vines and injecting germ into unsuspecting wildlife. The sticky weed latched onto the soldier's face as he passed by, implanting active spores into his flesh. Fortunately, the white wizard reached him in time to cleanse the infection with his magic. It saved the man's life, but did not stop his screams, as the searing pain of thousands of embryonic cells dug their way into his facial tissue.
Without the aid of magic, the pain would have subsided, but by then the spores would have made their way into the bloodstream. At that point, not even the strongest white wizard had the power to reverse the process. In only a few short days, the plant would take root, feeding on the body until it consumed the blood and organs. Once the body was fully absorbed, the plant would root itself in the ground to continue its cycle to maturity. Reproductive vines would not grow for at least a year afterward, but short of uprooting the entire shrub, they were difficult to eradicate. Fortunately for other wanderers, the East Kitezhian swamplands were one of the few places in the world where they were known to exist.
The group huddled together, worried that the man's screams might have drawn other spawn to their location. The white wizard raised his hand and gave a sharp hiss. "Hold up!" he whispered harshly. "I detect movement."
Bram drew his sword and backed up to cover Józef. Konrad edged close to his king's other side with a long knife, ready to strike.
"They are approaching from multiple sides," the white wizard uttered nervously. "We are surrounded."
"What are they?" Józef asked.
"Blood leeches, sir."
Bram heard curses from the other men. "What are those?" he asked.
"Parasites," Konrad explained, "with a taste for human blood. Not only do they attack in large numbers, but they are also quite cunning. They will try to surround us, and if they jump and latch on, their bite can cause paralysis in seconds."
"Do not be alarmed," Józef assured the others. "I know how to resolve this danger."
Konrad eyed him skeptically. "What do you have in mind, Your Majesty?"
Józef wore a satisfied grin. "Remember what we learned last summer, my friend? They are soothed by music."
The young king removed his backpack and took out his lute. He carried it with him as a remembrance of his time with Angela, but hoped it would now come in handy.
Konrad smiled. "I never thought I would see the day when I would thank the Goddess you brought that with you."
Just then, the slug-like creatures entered their circle of light. They were the size of puppies, with partially developed forward appendages and hind legs coiled back like a frog's, ready to pounce. Their mouths were filled with sharp teeth, large enough to bite through flesh.
"Quickly, Your Majesty!" Konrad urged.
Cradling the lute in his arms, Józef strummed his fingers gracefully across the strings, sending sweet melodies into their air. The blood leeches swayed from side to side, quickly becoming docile. They looked as if they had sunk into a mental stupor, drunk on the lute's graceful notes.
"Whatever you're doing, keep it up," Bram told him.
"Quick, over here!" The last interjection came from one of Józef's soldiers. Bram and the others headed in his direction. Józef followed, but kept playing.
The soldier pointed to a mound of mud that looked as if it had been recently piled. "Could it be?" he asked.
Konrad pushed forward and eyed the structure carefully. With a beaming smile, he nodded his head and responded, "Yes, it is a dragon weevil burrow. And it appears to be fresh."
"Creatures tend to protect their burrows," Bram warned. "It could be dangerous."
"Not the dragon weevil," Konrad answered. "It is known to be quite tame." He brushed away the layers of silt on top.
Bram noticed the ground move from underneath. "Watch out, it's beginning to stir!"
"Like I said, there is nothing to—" he was interrupted when two razor-sharp pincers pierced through the mud. Luckily, Bram pulled him back before the mandibles cleaved through where his forearms would have been.
Józef gave a start and nearly fumbled the lute. Fortunately, Konrad was unhurt.
"Back away!" Bram demanded. He drew his sword as the dragon weevil crawled from its burrow, snapping its mandibles viciously.
"No, you must not kill it," Konrad begged, pushing him back. "They are only born every hundred years!"
The dragon weevil lowered its head and raised its back. Its shell opened, revealing rows of barbs on the inside. They fired outward like crossbow bolts, wounding the soldiers at Bram's side. They screamed and writhed on the marshy soil as fiery venom coursed through their bodies. However, Bram's Gnostic armor protected him, and he did not hesitate. In a single motion, he swung his sword against the dragon weevil's backside, spilling its guts into the mud. Konrad's face contorted in agony as the exotic beast fell to its side and died. The white wizard ran to the soldiers to treat their wounds.
"You killed it," the scrawny man stated sadly.
"I had no choice," Bram responded with Gnostic stoicism. Pushing the carcass aside, he groped under the sand with his free hand. After a few moments of searching, he pulled out an egg.
"Leave the others," Konrad requested. "They may yet survive to be born."
"I thought you said it takes a hundred years."
"Yes, and almost all of it can be done without the presence of the mother. The hard shell will protect them for decades."
Bram nodded and piled the silt back onto a mound. The others gathered around Józef, and helped him to retreat from the area before the blood leeches came out of their stupor.
Once they were out of immediate danger, Józef caught up to Bram to speak with him. "That was a close call."
Bram nodded. "Indeed. But we also have you to thank for keeping the blood leeches at bay. You have quite a skill at playing the lute."
Józef smiled. "I took to it at a young age. My father believed in fostering creativity in his son, even though my grandfather would chastise him, insisting that I stick to my studies."
Thoughts about his father made Józef feel melancholy, and he did not want to expose his inner feelings to the Gnostic Knight. He thought of a way to change the subject. "I was surprised to see the dragon weevil attack you."
"I'm sorry I had to destroy the creature, Your Majesty." The knight sounded remorseful. "I didn't see a way to avoid it."
"No, no," Józef said to ameliorate. "I do not bring this up to condemn your actions, Bram. You did what was necessary. I only meant to ask if you have noticed other creatures acting abnormally in the same way. In my country, animals have been acting strangely for the past several years. Farm animals have become disagreeable with their owners and put in less work, carrier pigeons have been known to not return to their destinations, and areas known to be safe have suddenly become infested by spawn. It has been a worrying trend."
Bram nodded. "Yes, Angkor has seen this as well."
"What do you think it means?"
Bram shook his head. "I don't know, Your Majesty."
Józef hoped to lighten the mood. "You know, I may be heir to the Kitezhian throne, but you can call me by my name. You are my guide, and I do not feel right to demand the honor of a king."
Bram removed his Gnostic helm, and Józef saw that his lip had curled up ever so slightly. "I think I can do that … Józef."
The young king smiled broadly. "It is good to finally speak with you on a personal level, Bram." He extended his hand and Bram shook it. "Now, about my comment earlier … I was thinking that the increased spawn activity might be related to the behavior of otherwise tame creatures, such as the dragon weevil. And I wonder if it has anything to do with the sunstones."
The knight seemed to react to Józef's statement, making him wonder if Bram was holding something back.
"It's possible," Bram admitted, "but our first priority should be to reach Koba. We need to warn them before Angkor regroups. By the way, how well do you know the Koban emperor?"
Józef picked up on the fact that Bram had changed subjects, but decided to answer his question. "I accompanied my father on several visits in my youth, but I have not spoken to him directly. I figure he must have learned by now that Rungholt was attacked, but he might not know to what extent, or fully understand Angkor's purpose. He is no fool, though. I suspect he has already raised his defenses in anticipation."
"Let's hope you're right," Bram responded.
Józef nodded. "I hope we are successful in curing your companion's sickness."
"Me too," Bram returned with a sigh.
Józef understood how Bram must have been feeling. He remembered the deep chasm in his heart as Angela lay on her death bed, with all the uncertainty over whether she would live to recover. He hoped in Rosa's case, things would turn out differently.
Bram seemed to have had enough talking. Józef read from his body language that the knight had a lot on his mind. So they walked back to the sandskipper in silence.
