He knelt before her, looking to the ground with one arm across his knee. “My future has been foretold to hold many great deeds, and as you are obviously very important to this quest, I pledge my sword to you until this crusade is over.”
Darci stared at him whilst Maledorian eagerly awaited her approval, not knowing what to say. She was afraid if she refused his proposal, he would be offended. On the other hand, she did not want anyone to pledge their services to her. So she did not answer at all, quickly changing the subject instead.
“Why is it that you were so amused by Taslessian’s and then my attempt at being polite?”
Maledorian stood up with an uncomfortable cough, not sure how to take his new friend’s reaction. His brow creased for just a moment before he smiled again, deciding to explain how he had neither the patience nor the skill for such formalities, an opinion that had gotten him many extra chores as a page. He preferred the business end of being a knight and the honour that came with it. Whether Darci liked it or not, he would be there to honour his pledge.
It was not long before everybody else had awoken and they all began to congregate in the large hall. More servants made sure that breakfast was taken care of before they began to pack rucksacks full of newly gifted items. Eventually, they began organising themselves for their quest to find and destroy the foretold evil that had come to this world – the demon Demolish.
Part Two
Chapter 1
Darci awoke with a satisfying yawn. Comfort and warmth surrounded her stiff muscles, allowing the pain of such rigorous travel from the past to melt away. Rolling onto her back she stretched her arms above her head looking up at the glowing ceiling above. The strange fungus almost covered the cave roof, basking her surroundings in a soft glow. She had not slept so well since being on this strange world, and she was trying to savour the moment, for she knew it would not last. Today they were to leave on their quest.
A hot breakfast was served for all except the great dragon, who was content to simply watch his guests. All quickly ate the steaming buns that were brought to them, Darci noticing for the first time the fantastic amount of sustenance that Maledorian could shovel into his mouth at speed. Once they had finished what felt like their last meal, Grisham gave them a quick farewell speech wishing them the best of fortunes. The great dragon’s faithful servants presented each with a pack of supplies. With only a quick glance at their gifts, the group of five was pleasantly surprised to find new travel bedding, water skins, cooking equipment and more.
Darci almost buckled under the weight of her load, but she said nothing, knowing that she was bearing the smallest amount of their inventory. With the help and guidance of one of Grisham’s servants, they were led down into the depths of the mountain. The twisting and turning through the softly lit halls soon straightened out, and before long, glimpses of sunlight could be seen through the small cracks left by long gone plant life. Without warning, the tunnel ended, the dim, rock walls giving way to bright, early morning sunshine and a small soft clearing of grass surrounded by a cosy, secluded cove of trees. Much like the Frary village, this wondrously green area was alive with foliage transforming back into the dull grey mountains just around the corner.
Down in the small valley created by Grisham’s grand mountain and its smaller neighbour, horses had been tethered to an ancient pole, patiently awaiting their riders. Darci was presented with the first horse, a tall, brown mare that was munching contentedly at the carpet of grass underfoot. Taslessian’s horse was an even taller, grey stallion that seemed to be equally as gentle as Darci’s. Lief’s mount was a smaller, black stallion that pricked its ears before looking up at the group of two- legers, whinnying its greeting with its lips curled back.
Unlike the others, Defyance and Maledorian did not need to be supplied with a mount; they had their own horses. The knight’s horse was an ugly, ill-tempered charger that snorted in impatience at the sight of its master. The largest of all the horses, its muscled physique was perfect for the rigours of war. Defyance’s steed, on the other hand, was different from any animal that Darci had ever seen. He was a chestnut- coloured animal with an equine body, green eyes, two pointed blue ears and a single green horn in the middle of its head. It reminded her of a unicorn.
Defyance noticed Darci looking at her horse with a curious expression on her face.
“His name is Sahik.” She had not heard Defyance speak before, let alone to her, so she did not know what to say to the self-possessed warrior woman whose personality did not seem to invite friendship. Defyance busied herself about packing her saddle, leaving Darci to ponder her in silence.
With a smile, Darci gave her horse a scratch behind the ear. She loved horse riding; wind blowing through your hair as beast and rider travelled as one over whatever terrain lay ahead. There was only one problem. She had not really had much experience at riding because she was allergic to them. The night after she had ridden for the first time, she had broken out in a body-covering rash and her asthma had flared up, trying to suffocate her from the inside.
Looking around to make sure that no one else would hear, she pulled Taslessian to the side so that she could speak to him. “I don’t have a problem with horse riding, the only thing is, I’m allergic to them…”
The apprentice wizard screwed up his brow in thought as he looked at his friend. He had never heard of such a thing, yet maybe it was her terminology. After all, she did come from an entirely different planet; it would be too much to ask if every part of their language was the same.
Taslessian smiled at his new friend. “You must feel most…fortunate,” he said eventually. Quickly, he set himself to the task of attending to his mount, leaving Darci bewildered.
Watching the others, she attempted to tie the harnesses on her horse the same way, but for some reason, the saddle refused to sit correctly. Every time she tugged on a strap, the saddle would slide towards her, and when she tried to tighten the ties, she found that she could not.
Unnoticed, the quiet young elf smiled at Darci’s obvious difficulty with horses. Perhaps there were no horses where she came from? He would have to ask her some time. With a soft cough and a shy smile, Lief caught the young girl’s attention, motioning for her to step aside. Without a word, he elbowed her horse in the ribs, causing it to exhale. In one swift motion, the elf pulled the straps tight and then her horse was saddled. Darci mumbled her thanks, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Without further delay, they were off, packs and riders alike bouncing up and down to the steady trot of their mounts; the wind in their hair and the countryside passing beneath them. Again greyness surrounded them, yet their mood was upbeat as they were travelling with a great purpose. The constant clip-clop of the horses’ hooves on the harsh rocky mountainside echoed around them. It would take the whole day to travel between the mountains back to the south western reaches of the Jungle Dragon. After that, it would take them approximately two days of good riding to get to the city of Chinta. Once there, they would figure out their next move. However, only an hour after they had started, Darci began to have trouble breathing. Lief was the first to notice.
“Are you tired, Darci?” he asked. His sensitive ears had picked up the slight wheeze in her breath, and one look at her reddened cheeks told him that something was not right.
Darci hesitated for a moment. If people on this world couldn’t understand allergies how could they understand asthma? She searched her mind to find the simplest way to explain it, but she found it difficult to even think, as if some great weight was slowly pressing down on her chest, squeezing the breath out of her.
All except Defyance crowded their horses around Darci as they trotted along the broad path in the shadows of the mountain peaks. Maledorian’s steed snapped once at the tail of Darci’s mount, but with a rough tug on the reigns the warhorse begrudgingly behaved. Many deep, short breaths later, the young girl managed to convey the basic concept of her difficulties to everyone in the
group.
A frown interrupted Maledorian’s constant grin for an instant before he resigned, letting his horse fall back so that those in the group more skilled in medicines could handle the situation. Gaping wounds caused by a sword and broken bones from brawling were all he had experience with, so this was one thing his knight protector title did not really cover.
Still riding, Lief began to rummage around in the little herb pouches that lay around his waist, going through the various plants until he found what he was looking for. Taking a small bowl out of his pack, he placed three small dry leaves inside, adding some water from his flask. When he had finished mixing it he handed the thick liquid to his newfound friend.
“Here, this might help,” he said as he handed the concoction to her. Darci sniffed the brew cautiously. It smelt much like minty coffee, something that she knew she would not like, but if her new friend thought it would help… The medicine tasted hot as it slid down her throat. The dry yet still spicy plant had simply melted into the lukewarm water, yet the aftertaste was cool and soothing.
Darci took a test breath. As she inhaled, her eyes opened wide in surprise, the tightness in her chest had eased and her wheezing ceased. With every breath her breathing became easier until it was back to normal.
“Thank you, Lief,” she said. ‘That’s truly amazing!” It had worked better than her asthma pump from home. Lief had a warm smile on his face as he accepted back his bowl, glad he could be of assistance.
Off to the side, slowly falling behind the rest of the group, Taslessian could not help but give the elf a dirty look. He also had the power to heal such ailments, so why had he let the elf show off?
As the group talked together, Darci found out many interesting facts about her new friends. Lief was very young for an elf – only one hundred and forty-three – whereas most elves lived to be around six hundred years old. Elves did not seem to be affected by time the same as humans. In comparable human years, Lief was around twenty.
Maledorian was a young knight from The Keep in the area known as Ngaire, which was situated around a four-day horse ride trip southeast from where they were. It was an area renowned for its knights who patrolled the land.
At a young age, Taslessian had been picked from many ten-year-old boys in his small forest town to become an apprentice wizard. Because he had been called to such a rare trade, since his summoning, he had not left the area around Belderon’s house, until the day he had somehow transported Darci into his world.
Maledorian, Lief and Taslessian seemed quite happy to talk about their lives, whereas Defyance seemed quite content to listen. The only thing that Darci knew about her was that her horse, Sahik, really was part unicorn, well, according to Maledorian at any rate. Defyance smiled to herself, neither denying nor confirming the knight’s statement. When Darci started to speak about her life, Defyance gave her a stern caution. Things in Darci’s world were to remain unknown to Nahaba. The knowledge that she had may seem harmless enough to her, but the wrong information in the wrong hands could have devastating effects, Defyance warned.
Quietly, the chastened young girl sat and listened while the others continued on about their lives, leaving her feeling sad and forlorn, wondering if she would ever return home.
* * *
The sun had begun to shine through the space between the clouds as a distant rumble reached their ears. Looking around for the cause of the noise, all eyes focused on the rosy cheeks of Maledorian. After many hours in the saddle, they finally stopped for lunch. A sparse covering of weeds amused the horses whilst the saddle-weary travellers sat on a collection of boulders at the side of the path. Quietly, they ate their dried meat, washing it down with some ale. Darci had requested water instead of ale, because she knew from the smell that she would not like the taste of the harsh liquid. It reminded her of nail-polish remover, and the mere smell of it made her feel queasy. Maledorian, as usual, had offered his assistance, telling her that he would take the heavy burden of drinking her share for her, just so that they could lighten their load.
* * *
The weather was pleasant throughout their uneventful afternoon. The horses trotted along as they talked about nothing in particular. The sun was beginning to sink over the horizon as the clip-clop hooves on stone finally ended. Soft grass now lay underfoot as the harsh greyness of the mountains transformed into the lush greens of the forest. Not far into the Jungle Dragon, they found a small creek surrounded by a soft bed of grass to camp upon.
Darci, much like Taslessian, was glad to get out of the saddle; both of them dismounted with difficulty, their arms and legs moving stiffly. Maledorian wandered off to scout the area, setting small animal traps as he went. They had more than enough supplies to last them to Chinta, yet he strongly felt that a man as young and virile as himself needed fresh meat and not dried scraps, which he considered a snack. At this, Defyance rolled her eyes, while the rest of them thought hungrily about the idea of fresh food for breakfast.
Firewood was collected and a small fire lit for Lief to cook everyone some broth. With his elven ways and variety of herbs he could make the simple dry meat given to them for their journey taste magical. All gratefully accepted a bowl of his cuisine, holding conversation until their meals were at least half over and their bellies somewhat sated.
Before Darci went to sleep, she heard her companions talking about posting a watch. They did not think that they were in any danger yet, but Taslessian was still nervous about Domati and Trolog. There was no sign of the warlock and they had not felt his presence for days, but that did not mean that Domati had given up.
Darci was told she would take the last watch, which meant that she would need to cook breakfast. Her eyes began to droop as she replied with a barely audible grunt before drifting off into the sweet confines of sleep.
* * *
Darci’s sleep was filled with nightmares. Disturbed birds flew off squawking into the night. Animals scurried out of the way to leave an eerie silence. Something was lurking just out of the firelight. The horses were scared, panicky as they managed to break their tethers and run. Then something grabbed her by the arm. Taslessian was digging his fingers into her wrist, wide-eyed as he yelled something. Then she realised… it was not a dream.
Behind him, Maledorian was brandishing his long sword, single-handedly trying to fend off a large, hairy beast that remained half hidden in the shadows. A threatening, non-human growling could be heard as a flash of sharp metal in the firelight caught her eye. In an instant, Darci threw off her blanket and stood up.
“It’s Trolog,” Taslessian yelled. Seeing she was awake he returned his gaze to the beast. The dim firelight cast a pale glow on his alarmed face, making him appear like a startled boy.
Maledorian was standing in his woollen long johns, and with his deft sword strokes, he alone held the hulking beast at bay. Lief was moving around in a nearby tree with a small bow and a quiver full of arrows while Defyance held some daggers in her hand, placing herself between Darci and the beast, ready for action. Taslessian was standing next to her, both of them staring in horror at the beast that threatened them.
Glimpses of the monster could only be caught with the unpredictable dancing of the firelight. Trolog’s blank, black eyes never left the fiery glint of Maledorian’s sword. He stood an immense eight-feet tall and was at least three-feet wide. There was no trace of the human that the beast had once been. His head looked more goat than any animal that Darci could name. It had giant hooves for feet and its muscle-toned body was covered in short, dark fur. The monster was brandishing a dangerous-looking hook knife as he again growled a warning at the knight.
Lief let loose one of his Elven arrows. It found its mark, burying itself deeply into Trolog’s sword arm. Defyance attempted to throw one of her daggers at the beast, but it rattled unsuccessfully off chain mail that was so dark it could not be seen. The next dagger grazed Trolog’s ear but the beast hardly seemed to notice. It ignored the arrow in its arm as it lu
nged at Maledorian who deflected the curved blade with ease, snapping back with an attack of his own.
Darci felt helpless. Even Taslessian could do something to help her friends by using his magic, but she had nothing. Then her eyes fell upon some fist-sized rocks near her feet. She picked them up, letting fly at the beast that would kill her friends for its master.
Darci’s first two rocks narrowly missed the monster. Her third found its mark, hitting Trolog directly on the sensitive goat-like nose. This minor distraction was enough to give Maledorian the upper hand. His blade deftly swung in a manoeuvre that would hamstring almost any foe. Trolog’s knee buckled, but he quickly recovered. One hand holding the wound, the beast began to hobble back. Then a voice could be heard; it was coming from Trolog’s mouth and yet it sounded disembodied, as if not belonging to him. It was the sickeningly familiar voice of Domati.
“You all shall pay dearly for your insolence!” he threatened. “The Offworlder will be mine and you won’t be able to stop me,” Trolog sneered. “Not even a powerful wizard was able to stop me!”
Darci placed her hand on Taslessian’s shoulder. For a moment any sign of fear left the apprentice. His fists clenched in rage as he took a step forward. It looked as if he was going to try to attack Trolog with his bare hands, which is exactly what Domati wanted. Yet, with the reassuring presence of his friends, he finally thought better of it. Instead he retorted, “Your mother was a goat and your father was a horny drunk!” Despite his brave words, tears of rage and frustration began to form in the young man’s eyes as he faced the beast of a man who had so recently destroyed his master.
Trolog took a last glance at his prey before he half ran, half hobbled into the darkness, giving room for Darci to heave a great sigh of relief. She did not realise that she had been shaking, now exhausted from the energy sapping fear that had held her. Taslessian kicked viciously at a stick on the ground. When he had lost his temper, whatever magic he had been planning had been lost. In this battle he had again been useless. Maledorian stepped back into the firelight, gathering an old rag out of his baggage to clean the blood off his sword. A small smile had formed on his face; for him, the quest had begun, and so far he had handled himself well. Defyance had already snuck off into the forest, knowing that her horse would be hiding with the others nearby.