Knights of the Full Moon, page 14
part #4 of Of Knights and Wizards Series
The Ooaf kicked himself awake to the sound of footfalls behind the hut, much too heavy to be his little friend. Was he in danger? Listening intently the sound abruptly halted. Whatever was out there was now being quiet, and his underdeveloped instinct told him that might mean danger. Then the sound of a single thump. He went inside and sniffed at the wall where he thought the thing stood just beyond, but all he could detect was the scent of old mud. Should he run? Or would that encourage whatever was out there to pursue him?
Ooaf was now frightened for the first time; perhaps his brain was still growing. He imagined all sorts of terrifying creatures that didn’t exist, some cutting him in two with a single bite. Three thumps on the wall made him jump, and then Ooaf produced three blows, watching as a piece of mud fell to the ground. Another three wallops from outside made him even more curious as to what was behind it. Would something that wanted to eat him do such a thing? Should he go out and see?
Two clouts this time, louder and stronger than the first. Now he was getting angry as the bangs appeared aggressive to him. Again he thought of running off, but it might be a lot faster and bigger than him. He punched the wall with force and another piece of the dry mud fell off, picking it up he smelled it and then licked it. Silence as he tossed the dirt over his shoulder. Whatever it had been must have been scared away. No, the sound of scratching and then another thump. Ooaf went to the doorway and then halted. “Ooaf, ooaf!”
He turned and headed for outside, took several steps around the dwelling though seeing a shadow made him stop. He stood motionless and then turned and ran back inside.
“Org a gorg gorg!” Ooaf snorted not knowing what to do. He turned as another chunk of mud fell off the wall and then another. It was coming at him through the wall.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
MARCUS’S WAND SENSED DANGER and brought his right hand up, casting a freezing spell on all the villagers, covering all of them with a thick layer of ice. Most of them toppled over, with several balancing awkwardly in the sand. A bluejay landed on one and then quickly took flight. The move surprised him, and Marcus didn’t like it when the wand acted without his permission, but he supposed to save him it was okay.
The wand then emitted a blue mist, surrounding each dragon and returning them to health. No one, except the wand, was able to recall the events that had just occurred only moments earlier.
Ryxa stared at all the villagers encased in blocks of ice. “Why did you do that?”
Marcus shrugged. “It was the wand. It has a mind of its own. It will defend me if it is able, without my permission.” He gazed at the wand. “I guess we were in danger.”
“Marcus is one unique sorcerer,” said Ash. “So I guess his wand is exceptional too. Wish I had a wand.”
Bahati sniffed the ice. “Are they dead? The ice is not melting. Want me to melt it with my fire, Mother?”
“No, let them be.”
“My father is the best wizard in the world!” Daganth exclaimed. And then his voice trailed off. If they were all dead, that was just too much killing.
Ryxa turned and stared at Marcus. “You best get hunting for that thing. We’re too big to search through their dwellings. I’d like to get this over with and get back.”
There were about a hundred homes to search through, and the sorcerer tried his best to be thorough while simultaneously hurrying. But so far there was no indication of its location. It was frustrating. Ash took flight low over the island, saw an odd sight near three palm trees in a straight line. It was a hole leading down into the earth. It looked like an enormous cavern. Perhaps the isle had been a sorcerer's lair at some point in the past. Then he thought it was a strange thing to think because there could be a wizard in there now.
“Marcus, come and see this!” Ash shouted. “There’s a cave here.”
The sorcerer climbed on Daganth’s back, and the dragons flew, following Ash’s beckoning voice. Marcus was astonished at the size of the cave; it could easily accommodate ten dragons walking side by side, though the height was restrictive, at least for a dragon. There were claw marks on the black walls, making Ryxa wonder if something monstrous hadn’t sharpened its nails. They pondered on what might await them in such a place.
“I think it might be a realm,” said Marcus. Some realms had distinctive odors; this one smelled like pine. “But that doesn’t make it any less dangerous.”
It was a quandary for Ryxa; she couldn’t let the boy go in there by himself, and couldn’t let her little ones stay outside. There had already been way too much trouble on this quest. Although it appeared peaceful outside the cave, appearances were often deceptive, and again she considered the claw marks. There could be sand monsters for all she knew, odd beings made of sand that could kill a dragon; some called them dragon slayers. They slipped inside a dragon’s cavities and outed their fires before consuming them from the inside out.
Bahati sniffed at the entrance to the cave, and she thought it smelled like trees but also reeked of dampness. “Mother, are we all going in there?”
“Yes, I think it’s best that we all stick together.”
“What are we hunting for again?”
“The container that the hourglass will fit into,” said Ash.
Ash had already entered the cave followed by Daganth. Unfortunately, the ceiling was just a bit too low for the dragons to fly. The sound of the dripping water made a slight echo. The wand lit up to give Marcus sufficient light.
“Father, there’s an echo in here, in here, in here, in here.”
“Yes, I hear that, hear that.”
Bahati said echo over and over, filling the cave with her voice.
Ash shook his head. “Might be a good idea to be quiet so that we can hear if something else is in here.”
“That’s right,” said Ryxa. “Bahati, you hush now before something sneaks up on us and eats us.”
“Mother, there’s nothing that is big enough to eat a dragon.”
Ash sniffed the air. “We’re in a different realm, so there may be something big enough to eat all of us in one bite. Maybe that’s why this cave is so big.”
Bahati wished that she hadn’t brought it up, longed to be back home.
They proceeded quietly for a time. Bahati wondered what an animal would look like that could eat all of them in one bite, and she imagined lots of teeth. If it existed, she hoped that it was sleeping and would never wake up.
Abruptly, someone was screaming, and the voice was getting louder, someone was heading in their direction. Ryxa ran in front of all of them and was ready to blast whoever it was with fire if necessary. And then she saw it, some furry monster screaming and running as fast as it was able, being pursued by something. A tiny black dog chased the beast. An odd sight as the thing was so much bigger than the pursuer, it ran past them heading for outside.
Bahati cocked her head at her mother. “Why was that bigger thing so scared of that little dog?”
“How could I possibly know that? Just because I am older and wiser than you doesn’t mean I know everything.”
“Well Mother, before you had us you should have learned everything.”
“That was strange,” said Marcus. “But that screaming almost scared the pants off of me.”
Bahati thought about that. “Would his pants really come off?”
“It’s just an expression child. Think before you speak.”
Ash got beside Marcus. “Do you get any feeling as to whether we are heading in the right direction or not?”
Marcus shook his head. “No, not really. If we are heading in the wrong direction, we are wasting a lot of time. No way to know how bad things are getting from here.”
The dog went racing back in the same direction that he had come from, running as fast as his little legs would take him.
“Can your wand tell us if we’re getting any closer?” asked Daganth.
The sorcerer looked at his wand. “How about it wand? Are we nearing our goal?”
No.
“No, we’re not getting closer or no you don’t know?”
I am not able to sense the container.
After about another league of walking, they noticed that they were now moving downhill. They could hear the little dog barking but couldn’t yet see him, and as they reached the bottom, the animal cried three times and then halted. It stood in front of another cavern off the main tunnel. Marcus approached and then looked past the dog into the cave; it seemed empty. In the dim light, the wizard stepped onto a rock that shifted, and he fell into a cavity. The slab teetered back and regrettably it sealed shut.
The animal moved toward the dragons and growled. It commenced to grow and soon was more than twice the size of Ryxa. The bark was so loud that it hurt their ears.
Bahati got behind her mother. “So that’s why it was scared of the little dog.”
“Yes, a mass-shifter. Marcus?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
RAINA WELCOMED THE LIGHT SHOWER that saturated the ground, a refreshing break from the summer heat. Her mind was wandering and wondering how Marcus was doing on his quest; she was worried about him, so many things could go wrong. She shook more of the letters onto the ground, still amazed at how such big letters could come out of a small book. Magic wasn’t easy to get used to and now that she was a wizard its machinations surrounded her. Not nearly enough time had passed for Raina to get over the shock of it.
After the shower departed it was just as hot as before and maybe warmer. She guessed that she only had about four pages of the book done, and unless it got a lot more interesting she would tire of it. Perhaps that was the whole point of making the letters so large because most people would just abandon the task. One thing she did read was that anyone with evil intentions should not be allowed to peruse the book. And that the book was fifty thousand words in length was almost enough to make her abandon the task. It was going to take a long time to put the thing together, and she guessed that all the important stuff would be at the end.
A loud buzzing sound made her turn. An enormous bee had flown over the castle wall, as big as a hippo and should it decide to sting her it would do as much damage as a sword though she couldn’t help but admire its beauty. It had incredible eyes. She glanced at her bow on the ground and thought that putting an arrow in it might only make it angry. Besides, she didn’t want to kill it if it wasn’t necessary. She wouldn’t want to be in the vicinity of a hive with such enormous bees. Raina had never seen a giant flower but now wondered of their existence. She was happy when it flew off over the wall. Just as she was perusing the letters, she got word that Alexa wanted to see her.
Raina returned to the castle wall and could see that Alexa wasn’t happy, not that she any reason to be so inclined these days. “Yes, your majesty?”
Alexa glared at her. “Take a look and tell me what you see.”
Raina looked beyond the castle; she saw what looked to be a thousand little creatures. The Ooafs had arrived in Leeander, and they weren’t at all friendly. Beside them were the remains of ten of Leeander’s knights, torn to pieces and mostly eaten. “What the hell are they?”
“No one knows.”
“Cute purple things, though. Oh!” And then Raina saw the slain knights. “So the little bastards are monsters. Marcus said the whole world is going to change to such a degree that it will be unrecognizable. The magical source is like one big evil wizard. Do you want me to see if I can kill them?”
“I was hoping you would say that.”
“Alexa, you do know that you could order me to kill them.” Raina thought that it was eerie how they were all staring up at them. “Did the knights kill any of them?”
“Several and then they ate their own people, well I guess not people.”
“They ate each other?”
Alexa nodded. “Yes, they did.”
“That’ll save on the cost of a funeral.”
Alexa thought that it would be difficult enough to rein in normal times, but this was impossible. She was unable to make anyone feel safe because she didn’t feel safe herself. “Indeed.”
“I’m going to launch a single arrow amongst them. All my weapons infused with powerful spells. We’ll see what happens.” But as Raina readied to shoot her arrow she suddenly became feeble, so weak that she was unable to draw her bow. “I, I, I feel very strange.” She collapsed and instantly began to snore.
“Oh, of course. You, golden knight, carry her back to her chamber and remain with her. Let me know the minute she wakes. Everything is going to hell. I hope Stone returns soon. And we could use Marcu’s help before it’s too late.
Brother nodded and carried her off.
The next morning the Ooafs had started to move closer to the castle. The wall that surrounded the courtyard was closed and secured, but that didn’t make the Queen feel the least bit safe. If they chewed through armor could they eat through walls?
The horde abruptly halted and simultaneously sniffed the air. They could smell a high level of magic within. They smelled the sorcerer. Their instinct was at a bit of an impasse with their desire to attack and kill. They wanted to continue but were wary of doing so, a lot of their emotions weren’t comfortable.
The Queen was again summoned to see the horde in a state of unrest, looking at one another unsure of their next move, mumblings of an unknown language, if indeed a language at all.
Raina remained in a state of unconsciousness. No one knew if she would ever be awake again, the likely result of her transformation into a battle sorcerer. Perhaps her body couldn’t adjust to it? Or did those little creatures cast upon her as Raina had readied her arrow? She did look like she was pleasantly sleeping, in no discomfort that they could see though with some spells dreams were torturous.
Raina was walking in the snow following a single set of footprints, likely a man’s by the size of them. Mountain peaks reached for the blue sky on both sides of her. She was making her way through the pass and approaching the end of it. A drop of blood contrasted nicely against the white snow. She bent down and looked carefully at it; a small image was inside the droplet. How odd. She dug her hand into the fresh snow, scooped up the blood and gazed at it; the image was of Leeander’s castle.
A Golden Eagle soared high above, watching her progress, screeching twice while it circled. Looking up at the bird she thought it was beautiful, and that it must be cold so high up. The wizard raised her head from the tracks in the snow and saw a conical dwelling in the distance with green smoke rising out of the top. The abode, covered with animal hides, looked pleasant enough. There was barely perceptible chanting being carried by the wind, at times she could hear it and at other times she couldn’t.
A white wolf exited the dwelling, trotted around it three times and each time it got near the entrance it gazed in Raina’s direction before continuing. After the third time around the dwelling, it entered, and after a moment, stuck its head out and howled in her direction; it wanted her inside. It took a while to reach the teepee, and she stood near it trying to decide if it was safe to enter. There were sounds from inside, a tapping of sorts. Raina pushed her head inside and what she saw made her gasp.
The white wolf shifted into an old man. “I see that you have found your way, not everyone is able.”
“You were a wolf!”
The dark man nodded. He was naked except for his round hat that was made entirely of feathers. “We are many things in life. We do not remain the same; numerous things change us.”
The dwelling was built around an ancient tree stump, calcified over a myriad of seasons. Several rabbit furs were on the wall.
“You are now in a deep slumber TarProelio and not all who enter such sleep will awake from it. It only occurs once in the life of such a wizard, a part of your transformation, but the duration is unknown. Should you remain asleep more than a week, you will perish.”
Raina considered his words. “This seems terribly real for a dream.”
“This place is a genuine as you are. I am Aponiti, your spirit dancer. The moment you transformed I transferred to you. It is rare for me to shift from one to another. In fact, it has never happened before.”
Raina didn’t know what to think. For a brief moment, she had become aware that she was snoring, and that was curious. “So what am I doing here?”
“I must show you how to wake your human body.” Aponiti had a troubled look on his wrinkly old face. “Are you a good tracker?”
“Yes, I am actually. Why? I’m guessing that this is not going to be simple.”
He was now smoking a pipe that had not existed before now. “You are in a deeper slumber than I have ever seen, so deep that I am unable to see the bottom.”
Had a dream a bottom? “Perhaps they should start digging the hole now?”
The old fellow grunted. There was silence for a time. He smoked, and she looked around noticing several sets of antlers hanging on the walls. The spirit of a moose walked through one wall and then out the other side, the size of it startled her. The wolf, however, had seemed as genuine as those in the real world. It was uncomfortable knowing that she was asleep. Or was it something else?
“How do I awake?”
“It is uncomplicated. You just catch me.”
Raina’s eyebrows tightened. There was only one way in or out unless he could also pass through the wall. What was so difficult about that unless he changed back into the wolf? “I catch you?”
“All you need is to touch me, and you shall awake. I will be a wolf until you do.” He smiled, tilted his head up and howled. He changed into wolf form, and she jumped at him, but he dodged and ran out. So close to touching his tail but close meant nothing. Raina watched as the animal ran off into the nearby forest. How the hell was she supposed to get close enough to him now?
Outside the air was suddenly cold. She looked down and began following the tracks in the snow. Keeping up with a wolf was almost impossible, but Raina would do her best to follow it. She ran into the forest, her boots crunching on the snow. The animal’s tracks were sporadic, but one didn’t usually see every single track of one’s prey. She discovered a broken branch with a tuft of fur on it just before a clearing. There was a small lake covered with snow. Dream or not she wouldn’t appreciate ending up in icy water, or was that what it would take to wake her from the deep slumber? But no, she had to touch that stupid wolf. One shouldn’t tire in a dream she thought, but she was getting exhausted from running. At least, she could see the paw prints clearly now.
