Heroes of Magic and Might
Chapter 20 – Same shit, different place
…
"Headmaster, are you alright?"
That seemed entirely a matter of opinion. By his opinion, the answer would be no, but was his really the only opinion, and for that matter was it necessarily the right opinion. I mean, what did it mean to be alright? What did he mean by opinion? What did he mean by 'mean'?... hmm, seem to have wandered a bit there.
"I'm fine, Ms. DeWinter," the tired old man said. "I've just haven't slept this evening."
"This morning, Headmaster."
"Is it? Already?"
There was no window nearby to confirm it but the Slytherin prefect assured him this was the case. "I heard the birds chirping not just a moment ago."
"Birds, hmm, yes. Have you seen a bird recently Ms. DeWinter?"
The girl looked at him confused, "I'm sorry."
"It would have been blue, sort of like a parrot but with long trailing tail feathers and strange golden eyes."
"No sir, I haven't."
No, of course not.
"Sir, are you alright?"
Was he? "I think, perhaps, I just need to sleep."
The girl nodded as he began the long trudge to his office, "Have a good rest Headmaster."
The old man smiled and nodded, blinking several times to clear his vision. He was starting to see things. Anna DeWinter, as all well knew, had blue eyes, startlingly blue. He must have been tired because for a moment, he could have sworn they were gold.
Sleep, that was the ticket. A good sleep and he'd be just fine. He would be alright.
"You're really sure you want to travel now. You hardly slept."
"I'm fine," Harry assured her, as only a foolish young man with a few delusions of invincibility remaining could.
He wasn't really, fine that is. He hadn't slept at all after the encounter with the ghosts. The lingering pain playing only a minor part, the main role going to the strange obsession that developed the longer he thought on the whole thing which lead to them examining the site in the light of day.
"It's a mass grave," Rosebud had explained, a burial mound. Numerous broken markers ringed the earthen hill, the nature of their breaking being of the unmistakably malicious variety; stone did not naturally break along such perfectly straight lines.
That had been enough to make up his mind. He was in no shape for more fighting.
"Do you have any idea where we're going?"
He didn't, "Do you?"
"I know exactly where I'm going," the little vampire said with a grin, "wherever you're going."
Harry gave a tired chuckle, "Well, that makes one of us."
Was possible their other companions may have had some idea, but since they were of the sort that did not communicate in the standard way, everyone just followed Harry. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
He was too tired to feel much about a lot of things but that was neither here nor there (which does beg the question of where it was).
"Those mountains look like a direction."
"You want to go there?"
"I said it was a direction," he corrected. "I don't know what is there or anywhere else for that matter. From where I'm standing any direction is about as good as another so long as we keep moving forward."
Backward was not an option, and not just because he'd fall down if he tried walking backward. He'd made the decision to leave; right or wrong, he'd made the decision and he was going to see it to the end. He was stubborn like that.
"Any chance you could pull out the wagon and your ugly horses?"
"Who says my horses are ugly!"
"I do."
"Sassy pants… and no."
It wasn't that he enjoyed the walking, running near empty as his tank was, but they had shunned the road, and the footpaths of the forest were not made for wagons. Just because they were currently walking across an open plane, rare in his travels thus far, did not mean it would last. He could easily see the tree line in every direction.
"I just thought it might save you the embarrassment of passing out like a sissy," she said conversationally.
Harry looked at his travel companion who looked back perfectly innocent, "You have got a bit too much ginger in you today."
"Don't know what you mean."
Yeah right.
He weathered the mouthy vampire as they went along, hitting the tree line and finding a likely path. She relented briefly as her concentration was required to avoid being lost in the brambles and thorns that grew thick in this particular copse.
It turned out to be a small one as they came out the end not ten minutes later, stumbling to a sudden halt. Another plane stretched out before them, this one was less grass and more gravel but that wasn't why they stopped. A short distance away stood an odd sort of thing; twenty feet tall of materials Harry could only guess at, shaped like a gaping maw with a somewhat demonic slant. Something glowed within.
"It's a portal," said Rosebud, upon closer examination.
"You mean, like the one that brought you to this world."
"Oh goodness no," she said. "I've seen these before, even back on my old world. They're not trans planar, just cross spacial."
"Uh huh," what the what? "And that means?"
"It doesn't send you to another world, just somewhere else on this world."
"Ooooooh. Why couldn't you have just said that to begin with."
"I like feeling superior."
"Brat."
Staring into the enormous mouth he felt as though something was staring back. The green glow unnerved him. He'd experience with green glows, it wasn't good.
"So… we going through?"
"Where does it go?"
"Wherever the other one is," she said. "This is a two-way gate by the look of it."
"Right, you said you'd seen these before. Who built it then?"
"No idea," she said. "Not of this one or those. The ones on my old world predated any contemporary culture. No one knew who built them or why, but it didn't stop people from using them."
It wouldn't, would it? "Anything about this that gives you any hints where it might take us."
"Well, it's pointed toward the mountains."
"Is that important?"
"No."
Several deep breaths were taken to alleviate his aggravation, closing his eyes for a good rub then opening them again revealed it hadn't worked, she was still there.
"So, shall we go?"
He considered another long moment, then sighed in defeat. "Here, take this," he said, handing her his bag.
"Why?"
"I have a history with magical travel," he said, staring hard at the portal. "The first time is always the worst. I don't want my bag getting wrecked."
"Maybe I should go first then?"
Harry shook his head, "No. Follow me. I don't want you getting hurt."
"You're sure?"
Harry looked at the vampire who attempted to feign innocence. "You just want to be on the other side so you can see what happens."
"Yes."
Her smile was so unrepentant Harry could do nothing but shake his head. "Wait a minute then follow."
Psyching himself up, he remembered the sage words of Molly Weasley from that day so long ago. Bobbing a few times on his feet, he ran.
As magical travel went it wasn't the worst. There was a moment of disorientation, the feeling of being everywhere and nowhere all at once, then he was through, then he was tripping on the rock, then he was falling on his face, then he was rolling down the very steep hill, into the bushes, through the bushes, and finally into a small river where he came to a very wet stop.
Coughing a lungful of water, he dragged himself out of the river, "Someone— *ehack*— is definitely having a laugh at my expense."
Probably the universe; a sentiment proven by the rock that caught his foot as he slogged out of the water. The black fletched arrow quivering in the sand suggested the universe was doing more than just laughing.
Time slowed as he watched the arrow shake; the arrow that had passed through the space he'd occupied not a second previous, that would now be occupying him if he'd not faceplanted onto the shore.
Magic surged to his eyes and he rapidly scanned the tree line on the far bank.
There, a figure in a black cloak, knocking an arrow to its bow. Scrambling on all fours he ran before the shooter had a chance to aim. This didn't stop them from taking the shot, the arrow zipping dangerously close as he bolted up the length of the river.
With his enhanced hearing he could hear them give chase, more than one by the sound of it though he couldn't be sure.
Running along the river he felt he knew what a deer must feel, developing a whole new respect for the beast (though not in a way that would keep him from eating them in the future).
Another arrow nicked his arm sending a brief surge of pain to his over worked brainbox. Most people respond to pain in the simple way of trying to avoid it. This had never worked for Harry, and he was no longer so small he had to just sit there and take it.
Pain became anger and Harry diverted his course, turning to the river and leaping across in one mighty bound. By the sound of the shuffling detritus his attacker hadn't been expecting that.
Emboldened, he charged the cloaked figure who retreated with equal haste into the wood. Ducking and weaving they tore through the trees at dangerous speed, the magically enhanced wizard coming closer and closer with each second.
He was only a few feet behind when they broke into a clearing. The cloaked figure turned mid step, pulled back and fired at point blank range. With everything moving faster than thought he allowed his body to simply react and swatted the arrow away before lowering his shoulder and checking his attacker in the midsection.
The sound of the forcible exhale echoed in his ear and the cloaked figure flew across the clearing into the brambles.
Satisfied with his success, he stopped a second to catch his breath, but for the sound of a string being pulled taut; he turned just in time to see the arrow loosed. Instinct saved him again, his body leaning away just quick enough to avoid impalement, and more than quick enough to roll twice in his impromptu retreat.
The next attack came before he'd even stopped; yet another cloaked figure dropping from the trees with a pair of daggers like great saber fangs. He was on his back, almost at a stop but still with momentum. He let it carry him and threw his feet up in a vertical mule kick flying between the daggers and through the chin of his attacker.
The dagger wielder fell away, and Harry's head slid beneath him as he completed his final roll and landed heavily on his front.
He didn't stop to groan as he would have otherwise been inclined to do, but quickly looked around for the second archer. They hid well, but the creak of the bow gave them away and Harry was off the ground just as the arrow flew past.
Ducking behind the nearest tree he bumped into yet another cloaked figure. Just as surprised to see him, the cloak reacted a split second too slow, dropping the knife they were drawing as Harry shoved his elbow in their shadowed face.
The one standing behind the tree next to him took advantage of his distraction to pull their blade and make a surprise lunge. The blade slashed across his side as he was turning, then this attacker also fell to a rock-hard elbow to the head.
Two more appeared out of nowhere wielding full-sized swords, nasty curved sabers they swung in deadly elegant waves. He dodged around the tree and back into the clearing, barely missing yet another arrow which gave away the position of the archer.
He tried to go after them, but the sword wielders cut him off, then attempted to cut him down.
The difference between them was quickly made evident. They moved like cats toying with a mouse; slashing, stabbing, leading him where they wanted and punishing every misstep. The cuts were small, shallow; they weren't trying to kill him quickly.
The moment he realized they were playing with him; was the moment he lost his temper.
He took another cut intentionally, planting both feet and slamming his hands into the ground. The earth shook and rolled like ripples in a pond. The dancing swordsman stumbled back, and another arrow went wide as the ripple reached the trees, shaking them like a petulant giant.
A savage grin crossed his face and he took a menacing step forward, "I, AM, DONE, PLAYING, With yuu—gah!"
Reaching around the back of his neck he pulled out the nasty thing that had stung him. A brief inspection showed it so be some sort of dart, the purpose of which became readily apparent as he was suddenly holding five of them, in five right hands.
Realizing what was happening he dropped the dart as the world tilted. His sense of balance failed him as he tried to remain upright, saved from the ground only by slamming into a tree.
"No—no, you—you won't—not gonna…"
A heavy blow from behind silenced his protest and the last thing he knew was the cold, hard earth.