“And did you find the pit where this serpent sleeps?” Thrang asked.
“Yes, and my suspicions were verified,” said Arconn. “Bones and debris littered the ground in front of the serpent’s cave. I fear it has been waylaying travelers for some time now.”
“And would waylay us, too, if it had a chance,” said Thrang.
“It may have already seen us,” said Kat.
“What’s that? How? When?” Thrang asked.
Kat explained what had happened on the hill and that she now felt certain that the evil intentions she had felt came from the nagas, and that it was only waiting for a convenient time to attack them.
“What should we do?” Barnabus asked.
“Attack it first,” Nellus suggested.
“It is growing dark, and the nagas would have great advantage in the dark,” said Arconn.
“Yet we cannot remain here,” said Thrang thoughtfully. “If the nagas has seen us here, we should move. Then at least it will not find us where it expects us to be.”
“There is some wisdom in that, though where to move to is a problem,” said Alex. “The nagas can move swiftly, and it will try to follow us wherever we go. If it does not find us here, it will be on guard, making it harder for us to attack it.”
“What, then?” Thrang questioned, looking at Alex.
“Perhaps we can draw it in,” Alex suggested. “It knows we are here, but it does not know that we know it is here.”
“How difficult are these things to kill?” Thrang asked, fingering his ax.
“They are powerful creatures, and some have stings in their tails,” said Arconn.
“Their teeth are long and sharp, and they can raise as much as half their body off the ground,” Alex added.
“Dangerous at both ends, then,” Thrang said. “Still, we must do something before this creature attempts to attack us.”
“It is a difficult problem,” said Alex, thinking it through. “I would suggest not being in the tents where we are separated and vulnerable to attack, but if we are all in the open, then the nagas will see us and might wait for another time to attack.”
“There are also the horses to consider,” said Arconn. “If it cannot get at us, it may go for the horses.”
“Well, we must do something,” Thrang repeated, looking worried and desperate. “And we must do something now.”
Chapter Nine
The Nagas
Alex sat alone beside the fire, watching as the flames began to fail. All of his senses were alert, and his mind searched the ground around their camp for any sign of the nagas. The others were crowded into two of their four tents, waiting for any sound that would indicate the nagas was attacking. It was a desperate plan, but they couldn’t think of anything else to do.
As a precaution, Alex had put a hiding spell on their horses, so at least the nagas would not be able to find them easily. It was not a difficult spell, but there were seven horses, and it had required more time than Alex would have liked. Still, the horses should be safe, and once the nagas appeared, his friends would be close at hand.
The nagas was both cunning and intelligent. No simple tricks would deceive the giant serpent, and they didn’t have time to plan anything too difficult. So Alex sat alone as bait, watching the fire and waiting for the nagas to arrive. He worried that his ability to feel the nagas was limited, and he hoped that he would have time to act before the nagas could attack him.
Suddenly the hair on the back of Alex’s neck stood up. The nagas had arrived. Alex could feel its eyes looking at him from the darkness, searching the camp. Alex remained still, as if dozing by the fire during his watch. He needed the nagas to come closer before he tried anything or else it might escape into the darkness.
Concentrating, he could feel the snake moving, circling the camp, and looking for the best place to attack.
Alex stayed still, focusing his mind on the nagas. He knew exactly where it was, and he was impressed and a little surprised by the snake’s patience. The nagas was considering every possibility before it attacked, as if it half-expected some trick. For a moment Alex wondered if the creature had seen Arconn following it earlier, but he didn’t think that was the case. This was a careful creature by nature, but it was also ruthless in its desire to destroy.
The movement was quiet and quick, and almost before Alex realized what was happening, the nagas was closing in on him. He spun around, lifting his staff as he turned. Without waiting to get a clear view of his enemy, he cast a freezing spell and called out for his friends to join him.
The freezing spell caught the tail of the nagas, immobilizing the last third of the giant snake. Unfortunately, its front two-thirds was still very mobile, and the spell had infuriated the nagas. It had expected easy prey, but now it had to face six warriors and a wizard.
The nagas lunged toward Alex, and he dove left to avoid being caught in its massive jaws.
Alex rolled quickly to his feet, his hand frozen halfway to his sword. For a moment he stood, undecided about what to do. He could cast another spell using his staff, or he could draw his magic sword and attempt to fight the nagas physically.
As he debated what to do next, he heard the sound of Arconn’s bow and Thrain’s crossbow. Arconn’s arrow hit the nagas squarely in the body, but it broke on the thick scales of the serpent. Thrain’s bolt, however, sank deep into the nagas’s body just behind its head.
The nagas screamed in pain and rage. Rising up, it turned away from Alex, angling toward Thrain. Thrain was too busy reloading his crossbow instead of paying attention to the nagas and was unaware of the danger.
Alex launched himself toward his friend, knocking Thrain away just as the nagas’s head struck the ground where Thrain had been standing. Alex rolled away from his friend, turning to see what the serpent would do next. Raising his staff, he prepared to cast another spell, but the nagas was too quick for him. Its massive head shot forward, missing Alex but striking his staff instead. The staff shuddered in Alex’s grasp, and he was thrown backward, slightly dazed.
By the time Alex was back on his feet, the nagas was closing in on him. Nellus and Barnabus were staggering to their feet, having dodged the attack. Arconn and Kat were firing arrows, trying to find some soft spot on the monster where their arrows would do some good. There was a loud twang and the nagas rose up once more, screaming for a second time. Thrain had managed to fire a second bolt, this one striking the nagas in the eye.
Alex didn’t wait to cast a spell; instead he drew his sword and ran forward. The reckless feeling he had experienced when he faced Bane returned once more, but now it was directed toward this snake that dared to attack him. The nagas’s head was ten feet in the air, so Alex swung his sword at the massive body in front of him and felt his blow slice through the scaled armor of his enemy, cutting the body almost in half.
“Quickly!” Alex heard Thrang shout from behind him.
The head of the nagas dropped toward the ground, unable to lift its broken body.
Thrang charged with his ax, striking the head of the serpent as it tried desperately to crawl away. The nagas jerked wildly, and Thrang was thrown back. Alex ran to the head as well, lifting his sword for a final blow. The nagas wriggled madly on the ground, trying to twist its body over its head for protection, but its frozen tail made that impossible. Alex brought his sword down with all the strength he had.
For a moment the nagas continued to move, but Alex knew that it was already dead. The reckless feeling was slipping away from him, but he realized how close it had come to controlling him completely.
Barnabus and Nellus put their weapons away and helped Thrang to his feet, commenting on his bold attack. Alex smiled at Thrain, who looked pale and afraid but determined to stand his ground.
“More dangerous than a dragon,” Thrang said, retrieving his ax from the severed head of the nagas.
“Not as bad as that,” said Arconn.
“It moved faster than I thought it would,” sai
d Alex.
“Lucky you were able to partially freeze it,” Thrang said, wiping his ax on the grass.
“You . . . you saved me,” said Thrain, walking up to Alex. “It would have killed me if you hadn’t knocked me out of the way.”
“You would have done the same for me,” said Alex. He looked around at his companions. “It appears that we are all unhurt.”
“Yes, it does,” said Nellus, standing close to the fire.
“I don’t suppose any of us wants to spend the rest of the night so close to that thing,” Kat said, a look of disgust on her face as she pointed at the dead nagas.
“We will have to move camp,” said Thrang. “Even dead, this creature is unpleasant to be near.”
They went to work at once, taking down tents and packing their things. Alex removed his hiding spell from their horses as Thrang asked Thrain to put out the fire. Arconn suggested they move closer to the nagas’s cave and search it once the sun had come up.
“That would be best,” agreed Thrang. “I have no desire to be searching caves in the dark. Who knows what other creatures we might find.”
“I doubt there are many creatures that would share a cave with a nagas,” said Alex.
They followed the stream north for about a mile before setting up a new camp. The night was warm and clear, and since they didn’t plan on staying there long, they didn’t bother setting up their tents again. None of them felt tired after their fight with the nagas, so they spent the last hours of darkness sitting around the fire and talking.
“A masterful final blow,” Barnabus said to Alex. “You were quick in the attack.”
“A useful trait for the person who is the bait.” Kat laughed.
“I was almost too slow,” said Alex. “The nagas moved much faster than I thought it would.”
“But not fast enough.” Thrang laughed. “Though it was a close call for some of us. Young Thrain here was so busy thinking of attack, the creature almost had him. You should pay more attention to your enemy,” Thrang said to Thrain.
“In the heat of battle, it is easy to forget the danger,” Alex said, glancing at Thrain, who looked a little embarrassed.
“True enough,” Arconn added. “I have often seen warriors take terrible wounds simply because they were trying to attack and forgot their defense.”
“All that you say is true,” said Thrang, his voice softer. “And Thrain did draw first blood. That’s not bad for a first-time adventurer—not bad at all.”
The last few hours before sunrise passed quickly, and their talk dwindled to silence as the new day arrived. As the company ate breakfast, Alex noticed that Thrain still seemed a little shy of him. He wondered if the contest of power with Bane, and the fact that Alex had saved Thrain’s life, had made Thrain unsure of their relationship.
Alex remembered the wild, reckless feelings that had almost overcome him while fighting the nagas and facing off against Bane. It was something he had never felt before, not even when he was fighting goblins with his magic sword. He considered asking Whalen about it, but he knew Whalen would tell him to control his emotions. The trouble was, the feeling wasn’t really an emotion. It was a sense of power, greater power than he had ever experienced before, and a recklessness that came from knowing he could not be defeated. It was strange, and it scared him more than he liked to admit.
After breakfast, Arconn led them through the trees to a wide clearing full of wreckage. Broken wagons, carts, and bones were scattered over the ground. To one side of the clearing, a large cave opened into a small hillside, its dark opening looking like a patch of midnight that morning had forgotten to wipe away.
“Why would so many people bring carts and wagons here?” Nellus questioned.
“The nagas tricked them,” said Alex. “It must have made promises to these travelers to lure them close to its den.”
“Then why did it not do the same with us?” Kat questioned.
“Travelers are easier prey than adventurers are,” Arconn answered.
“Yes,” agreed Thrang, looking around the clearing. “Arconn, Alex, and I will enter the cave. The rest of you, search the wagons and carts.”
“For what?” Thrain asked.
“Treasure, of course. The nagas could not easily move items from carts and wagons,” Thrang said. “It would be best for us to make a complete search.”
The others did as Thrang asked, dismounting from their horses and beginning their work. Alex and Arconn rode forward with Thrang to the cave opening and tied their horses to a broken wagon wheel just outside the dark entrance.
“We’ll need torches,” said Thrang.
Alex smiled, and with a wave of his hand, conjured up several weir lights and sent them into the cave.
“Yet another good reason to bring a wizard along,” said Thrang with a grin.
“I find them easier than torches, and faster,” said Alex.
“Halfdan said you used them to great effect on your last adventure together,” Thrang said.
“They have many uses,” said Alex. “Right now they will make our search quicker. I don’t want to spend any more time in this cave than we have to.”
“Nor do I,” said Arconn.
Thrang nodded his agreement and led the way into the cave. The weir lights moved ahead of them, lighting the cave better than a dozen torches. Fortunately, the cave did not extend deep into the hill. It took only a minute or two for the three of them to find the main chamber, and when they did, they stopped in surprise.
“You said these creatures hoarded treasure, but I did not expect this,” Thrang said to Alex.
The floor of the chamber was covered with wealth. Gold and silver coins were scattered everywhere, making it appear as if the cave floor was solid metal. The weir lights reflected brightly off the treasure.
“It will take at least two days to get all of this out in the open,” Thrang declared.
“Yet well worth the labor,” Arconn said.
“Yes, but I do not wish to remain in this dark place for two days or more,” said Alex.
“So you would leave all of this behind?” Thrang asked, stunned.
“That is not what I said,” Alex answered. “If you will allow me, I can quickly move all of this into my bag, and then we can find a better place to do the sorting and dividing.”
“Not going to try and put one thing in your bag at a time, then.” Arconn laughed.
“You two have taught me well,” said Alex with a bow, remembering the trouble he’d had the first time he’d used a magic bag. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind standing back—I wouldn’t want to accidentally add the two of you to my bag.”
Thrang and Arconn both laughed and stepped behind Alex. Alex lifted his bag and concentrated on the room in front of him. He had done something similar before, so he knew it would work now. He spoke softly so Thrang and Arconn would not hear the secret password to his magic bag, and in one shimmering moment, the chamber was emptied.
“I’ve never seen that done before,” Thrang said, an astonished look on his face. “Piles of bags or stacks of wealth, yes, but never an entire room in one instant.”
“Useful, if you are in a rush,” said Arconn.
Thrang insisted on checking every corner of the empty cavern, so Alex sent the weir lights dancing around the room as Thrang searched. He even made a couple of them circle Thrang’s head. Arconn stifled a laugh when Thrang stood up too quickly and the weir lights bounced off his head, spinning wildly around the chamber.
“Well, it seems you’ve done your work well,” said Thrang at last, swatting at one of the weir lights that had returned to circle his head. “Let’s get out of this hole and see what the others have found.”
They left the empty cave, and Alex put out the weir lights as they returned to the bright morning sunshine. The others were having more difficulty with their search than Alex, Thrang, and Arconn had had. Many of the wagons and carts had been tipped over, making it difficult to see what was under them. Al
ex noticed that his friends had stacked a fair-sized pile of bags and boxes already, and he wondered how much wealth the nagas had managed to hoard.
“Any treasure in the cave?” Barnabus questioned.
“A fair amount,” answered Thrang. “Master Taylor has put it in his bag for now, thinking it would be best to sort and divide later.”
“There is wisdom in that,” Nellus said, lifting a broken cart to see what was under it. “The bones of the dead are all around this place.”
“The sooner we are away from here, the better,” said Thrang. “What have you found so far?”
It turned out the others had searched about one-third of the clearing. Alex, Thrang, and Arconn joined in the search and were soon sweaty and dirty with the work. Alex was surprised by the amount of treasure they found in the broken wagons and carts, and he wondered who would be traveling with so much wealth in this open and empty country. He had little time to ponder because Thrang soon called him away from the cart he was searching.
“Magic books,” said Thrang, holding up a large, leather-bound volume. “A strange find, and something you should have a look at.”
Alex took the book from Thrang, looking at it for several minutes before noticing the pile of nine or ten other books that Thrang had recovered from a broken-down wagon.
“With your permission, I would like to add these to my bag,” said Alex slowly, looking at Thrang.
“They are yours, of course,” said Thrang. “None of us has any use for magic books, and they should not be left about for just anyone to find.”
Alex bowed to Thrang and began looking at the books more closely. After several minutes, he put the books inside his bag and began walking around the clearing in a wide circle.
“What are you doing?” Thrang questioned, dragging a heavy chest out from under one of the wagons.
“Looking for something,” Alex replied.
As the others finished their search, Alex continued to wander back and forth, across and around the clearing.
“Well, that’s done,” said Thrang, loudly enough for Alex to hear him. “Now if Alex will add all of this to what we’ve already taken from the cave, we can find a better place to do our sorting.”