Standing next to the blood-soaked ground where the horse had collapsed, they saw how the creature had dragged the carcass toward the water, but then had altered course and skirted the water’s edge.
“I wonder why it didn’t drag it into the water?” queried Jaikus.
To illustrate, Reneeke grabbed a stick from off the ground. Then, stabbing an end into one of the many pieces of horseflesh that had been ripped from Master Hymal’s steed, flung it into the water. The roiling of the water as the flesh-hungry little fishes tore into it was explanation enough.
“It didn’t want to share.”
The bank of the stagnant pond was soft, and the mossback’s tread had been heavy. Tracking it wasn’t going to be an issue. Reneeke shouldered his pack and made sure it rested comfortably.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jaikus asked. “Charka didn’t seem to think we had much of a chance.”
Pack now situated comfortably, he replied, “He didn’t think we had much of a chance as Springers either. Yet here we are.”
Slinging his own pack into position, Jaikus said, “This is different, Rene. You saw what that other mossback did to Seward, and that was even after you had rendered its back half useless.” After a quick, nervous glance toward the trees wherein the mossback they were about to hunt had gone, he added, “Charka said the one that took off with Master Hymal’s reagents was much larger, too.”
Reneeke flashed a serious look toward his friend. “Jaik, if we do this and survive, there’s no way anyone would bar our admittance into the Guild.” Reneeke could see his friend was having some serious reservations about following after the mossback. “I promise that we will not fight anything. We’ll simply find out where it took the carcass, wait for it to leave, then retrieve Master Hymal’s reagents.” Slapping Jaikus on the back, he added, “Piece of cake!”
“I hope so.”
“This is what adventuring is all about, right? Risking life and limb for glory?” But then he grew serious. “Unless of course, you have changed your mind about pursuing a life of adventuring? Returning to the farm would be no disgrace.”
Jaikus knew that his friend would be more than happy to do just that. Farm life, though, was something Jaikus simply abhorred. “No, I still wish to join the Guild.”
Putting hand to hilt, his face twisted into a wry grin. “Alright then. On to adventure?”
“On to adventure.”
Reneeke took the lead as they followed the trail left behind by the thieving mossback. Tracking was simple as there were not only the mossback’s tracks, but a wide swath of blood-streaked ground courtesy of the eviscerated equine with which the mossback had absconded.
Upon reaching where the trail left the water’s edge and moved into the surrounding trees, Reneeke came to a halt. “We need to be extra careful from here on. Coming up on an animal with a fresh kill can often cause it to attack if it thinks its meal is in any way threatened.”
“Not to mention the possibility that the scent of fresh blood could draw other creatures in to investigate,” Jaikus added.
“Right. So like my father always said when we were on the hunt: ‘Keep your eyes open and mouth shut.’”
Jaikus merely nodded.
The trees they passed through were by no means closely packed together, yet it still took them some time before the mossback and its dinner came into view. Upon a knoll rising from a point slightly off-center within another pond, the mossback was in the process of greedily tearing into the horse’s flesh. Half of the equine carcass still lay within the water. Reneeke was quick to note the lack of any tell-tale roiling which would indicate the presence of the voracious little fish. He deduced that this must be the lair of the mossback. For with the pond being free of the parasitic little flesh eaters, it could take its ill-gotten bounty through the water to the knoll where it could eat in peace. Also, from atop the knoll, it would have a commanding view of anything en route that might make an attempt to abscond with its supply of horseflesh.
Halting some distance from the water, the pair crouched down behind the roots of a toppled tree where they could observe the mossback without fear of being seen. “Look there,” Reneeke said, pointing to the packs and saddle which were miraculously still attached to the horse.
Jaikus nodded. “But how are we to get them, Rene? That mossback will hear us in the water long before we reach it.”
“Could be it will wander off once it’s eaten its fill.”
Annoyed by the insects buzzing about, not to mention the slight fact that night was rapidly approaching, Jaikus said, “Light’s going to be gone soon.” Already, the shadows were beginning to deepen. They had an hour before the last traces of daylight would be gone altogether. Maybe not even that long.
Reneeke didn’t answer right away. He kept his eyes directed toward the feeding mossback. “You may be right,” he finally replied. “But we dare do nothing until it’s eaten its fill.”
“But, night is almost upon us.”
Shrugging, Reneeke said, “So? Night is going to catch us in the Swamp no matter what we do.”
“Then, what are we to do?”
He gazed at his friend for a moment before realizing no answer was forthcoming.
Sometime after the sun had set, and before night had a chance to completely take over, the mossback moved off. Sliding from the knoll and into the water, it left the remains of the horse at the water’s edge as it disappeared beneath the surface.
Reneeke could sense Jaikus was about to speak, so held up his hand for silence. Eyes scanned the surface of the water. The deepening shadows created a concealing patchwork that shrouded the pond almost to the point where details were lost. Almost.
Accustomed to the ways of animals, especially those inhabiting the mountains near Running Brook, Reneeke knew the mossback probably had a favored resting place that would most likely be both sheltered and secluded. Patience was the key.
A minute ticked by as the shadows continued their descent into full night. Then he saw it, a tell-tale ripple spreading across the pond’s surface. It was easy to determine from the ripple’s movement where the mossback had settled. Far to their left was a thick patch of moss drooping down from overhanging branches. It was thick enough to hide whatever might be on the other side. It was within that mass of sheltering moss that the creature had gone, he’d bet his life on it.
Pointing toward the moss, he whispered, “It went over there.”
Predators, son, are mean and nasty when hungry. But if you wait until their bellies are full, they are prone to be slow and lethargic.
His father’s words flitted across his mind as he considered their next course of action. What did he know of mossbacks?
Rene, always know what it is you’re hunting. Know what its habits are, what it likes, and what it hates. With his father’s words guiding him, he began to recall snippets of previous conversations.
…a mossback’s habits were to kill and eat, preferably near water…
…young ones liked to drop out of trees…
…fire….
What did Charka say about mossbacks and fire? They don’t care much for fire and tend to avoid it whenever possible. He remembered very well how the previous mossback reacted to Lady Kate’s fireball.
Turning to Jaikus, he grinned.
“What?”
“I have an idea.”
“Is it a good one?”
Reneeke chuckled as he shrugged. “If we survive, yes. If not, no.” In the fading light, he could see his friend frown. With a sweeping gesture to indicate the area about them, Reneeke said, “Help me gather some of this dead brush and I’ll explain.”
Ten minutes later, they stood at the water’s edge. Jaikus wasn’t any more enthusiastic for this undertaking than when it first had been explained to him. “We’re not going to make it. You know that, Rene.” They both were able swimmers. It wasn’t the fear of the water that had him concerned. Rather, it was the creature lurking beneath the over
hanging moss that terrified him to the verge of calling this off and going home.
In his hands he held four branches. The ends of each had had their combustibility augmented with interwoven bundles containing as much of the dead and dried-out material that could be found.
The plan was simple. They would ignite one branch’s bundle of combustible material, then slip into the water and cross to the knoll where they would then get the bags containing Master Hymal’s reagents. It was hoped that having just gorged, coupled with the mossback’s natural aversion to fire, the creature wouldn’t sally forth to investigate what was going on in its pond. Should the first branch burn itself out, the next would be lit, and so forth, until they had returned back across the water and reached the shore.
Reneeke ignored Jaikus’ prophecy of doom. Taking one of the four, make-shift super-torches from Jaikus, Reneeke used flint to strike sparks until the material caught. In no time, the fire spread throughout the bundle.
Standing up, he glanced to Jaikus. “Ready?” Chuckling when Jaikus shook his head, he stepped toward the water. “Come on.” As Jaikus followed, he gestured to the remaining three branches his friend held. “Keep those dry.”
Nodding, Jaikus entered the pond. He gasped at the icy water’s first touch. “It’s cold, Rene.”
“So? Can’t be any worse than the mid-week baths your mother gave you.”
He was, of course, referring to the fact that Jaikus’ mother had been a firm believer in a regular regimen of cold baths. Once a week, his mother would make him haul buckets of water from the nearby creek for his bathwater. The coldness was supposed to ‘purge’ the evil out of him, as everyone knew that evil spirits came from a place of fire. Therefore, a good dousing in cold should scare them off. Jaikus’ family was a bit stricter than most when it came to such things.
“Don’t remind me.” Gritting his teeth, he stayed as close to Reneeke as he could while making their way toward the knoll.
They kept constant vigil toward the moss-shroud wherein the mossback lay hidden. Jaikus felt very exposed and vulnerable, feelings that only increased the more submerged his body became. When the water reached his chest, he was forced to hold the branches high above his head to keep them from becoming wet.
“It’s still there,” Reneeke commented in the quietest of whispers.
In the light from the burning brand, he watched the hanging moss and adjacent water for tell-tale signs that the mossback had taken an interest in what they were doing. Thus far, that area of the pond remained still and quiet, but he figured such a state would not last for long. They were even now crossing the halfway point and drawing near to the knoll.
Chin now raised high due to the water’s depth, Jaikus worked his way along the bottom of the stagnant pond. The foulness of the water occasionally found its way into his mouth, nearly causing him to gag. What stopped the reflex was his fear that the mossback would take a greater notice of their presence in its territory.
“Jaik,” Reneeke whispered.
So quiet was his voice, that Jaikus almost didn’t hear him.
“Hand me another branch.” The flames of the one he held had begun to die. Shadows started regaining lost ground, including that of the mossback’s hideaway.
Already precariously balanced on what he hoped was the branch of a submerged log, Jaikus tried passing one of the branches to Reneeke. The slight movement toward his friend caused a foot to slip off the branch, and under he went.
He didn’t panic, as both he and Reneeke were fair swimmers, having during their youth frolicked in the ponds and lakes near Running Brook. Reflexes quickly took over, and after locating the bottom, used his foot to propel himself back toward the surface. Just before breaking through, he felt Reneeke take hold of the branch he had been in the middle of handing over, providing some much needed leverage with which to regain the surface and stay afloat.
“Shhh!” Reneeke urged when Jaikus broke through and began sputtering.
Pond scum coated his hair, eyes, mouth, and every other nook and cranny from the neck up. Nasty was a mild description for the way he felt. Once his balance had been restored, he began treading water since the bottom was no longer within reach.
“Are you okay?” Reneeke took the branch from Jaikus and set it against the almost burned out one. Instantly, the tinder of the second flared to life.
“Yeah,” Jaikus replied.
Now with only two branches in his left hand, he moved closer to Reneeke in order to lay a hand on his friend’s shoulder to aid in his effort to keep afloat. Supported as he was with his new-found grip, Jaikus was able to wipe the scum from his face on a relatively dry patch of Reneeke’s shirt.
“Uh-oh.”
“What?” Looking up, Jaikus’ panic returned anew as he glanced back and forth across the water for signs of danger.
Reneeke directed Jaikus’ attention to the mossback’s hideaway with a nod of his head. There was a gap in a section of the overhanging moss touching the water that hadn’t been there before. In a voice as silent as he could make it, Reneeke said, “The mossback…it’s out.” He felt Jaikus’ grip tighten on his shoulder.
“Let’s get out of here,” Jaikus urged.
Not moving, Reneeke held the torch up as he scanned the surface of the water. When he saw no signs of the mossback, or the tell-tale ripples indicating its passage, he shook his head. “We’re close, Jaik.” A short silence, then, “Hang on.”
He began moving toward the knoll. Jaik held onto his shoulder and kept his eyes peeled for the mossback as Reneeke worked to bring them through the water.
They could see very clearly the remains of the horse where it lay half in, half out of the water. Of the three saddlebags Master Hymal had mentioned, two were clearly visible. The third could very well be hidden beneath the carcass.
A slow minute passed. Reneeke was moving as quickly as he dared. Footing was treacherous, but at no point had the water grown so deep that it prevented him from reaching the bottom. Then his foot sank into a depression, causing his head to momentarily dip beneath the surface.
Terror shot through Jaikus as his friend suddenly went under, frightened that the mossback had attacked.
An instant later, Reneeke passed beyond the depression and his head once again broke the surface.
“You scared the life out of me,” Jaikus exclaimed in a hushed whisper.
“I’m okay,” he replied. “Hole.”
From there on, the depth of the water gradually diminished. Jaikus was soon able to let go of Reneeke’s shoulder and walk on his own. When the water was once again at mid-chest level, Reneeke brought them to a halt.
Mere yards away from their objective, he held up his hand, then pointed off to the right of the knoll. A small wave was making its way across the surface. It wasn’t making directly for their position, but then, it wasn’t moving away from them either. The wave’s trajectory would bring it to within three feet of where they now stood.
“I think we have finally got its attention,” Reneeke announced. Glancing to Jaikus, he could see the fear in his eyes. “Be ready with the last two branches.”
Nodding, Jaikus tightened his grip upon them.
“Stay close.”
Jaikus didn’t need Reneeke’s warning to practically tread on his heels; fear of being ripped apart was doing an ample job all on its own.
Two pairs of eyes tracked the wave’s movement. Now that they knew they were discovered, they quickened their pace toward the carcass of Master Hymal’s horse.
Reneeke turned to face the bow of the wave, all the while continuing to progress closer to the knoll. He put both burning branches in his left hand, then held out his right. “Give them to me.” Once he held all four branches; two burning brightly in one hand, the other two awaiting their turn to be lit in the other, he said, “Get the packs.”
As Jaikus hurriedly splashed across the last few yards to the carcass, he heard Reneeke add, “And hurry!” There was a definite edge to Reneeke
’s voice. Afraid to waste even the brief time glancing over his shoulder would take, he raced forward.
Drawing near the carcass, he saw the two blood-soaked packs, bulging with Master Hymal’s reagents. In an instant, his knife was in hand as he fell to his knees in the bloody froth. Grabbing a strap, he put blade to leather and easily severed its hold.
Whoosh!
Light blazed forth as Reneeke ignited the last two branches.
“Back!”
Jaikus pulled the first pack free then glanced over his shoulder. There, not more than fifteen feet away, stood Reneeke with twin blazes now raging from both hands. In the water before him, the mossback recoiled from the sudden conflagration of the remaining branches.
“Hyah! Back!”
Sidestepping to match the creature’s movements, Reneeke interposed himself between it and Jaikus. Waving the branches to and fro, he shouted again as the mossback tried to outflank him. Leaping forward, he scored a direct hit on the creature’s face with an intensely burning brand.
Roaring, it twisted about and vanished beneath the surface.
“Where did it go?” Jaikus shouted.
Reneeke kept eyes on the water as he said, “You let me worry about that. Get those packs!”
Pack two took another second to free, and now that he was close, could readily see where the third was pinned between the ground and the ribcage.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Reneeke moving closer as he scanned the surface for signs of the mossback’s return. But he couldn’t worry about that now. He had to get the third pack free.
The ravaging of the mossback had left ample opportunities for him to acquire a good grip on the horse’s remains. By grasping two protruding ribs, he pulled with all his might. Fortunately, the mossback had consumed most of the meat, and thus had reduced the weight sufficiently to enable Jaikus to drag the carcass from atop the pack. Once it was free, he quickly cut the strap and gathered it up along with the other two.
“I got them!” he shouted just as a shadow leapt toward him from further up the knoll. The mossback had doubled back.
“Rene!”
Panic lent strength to his leap as he sought to escape the creature’s attack. Easily clearing four feet of the knoll’s surface, he landed awkwardly upon a pile of rocks and immediately crashed to the ground.
“Hyah!” Reneeke shouted as fiery brands rushed forward to Jaikus’ aid. “To me, creature!”
Arcs of fire danced in the air and the mossback paused at their approach.
Jaikus scrambled back to his feet.
“Get to the water, Jaik.” Holding the fiery brands as a mighty swordsman would his trusty blade, Reneeke jerked his head toward the water. “Get going.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be right behind you.” Then he saw the rear legs of the mossback bunch, readying for a leap. “Hyah!” he shouted as he stepped forward, wielding the brands before him. The mossback snarled, but remained where it was. His bravado had squelched the creature’s impulse to attack.
When he heard the sound of Jaikus entering the water, Reneeke began backing up to follow. Never taking his eyes from the mossback, he stepped from the knoll and into the water. Brands of fire still held before him, he watched the mossback as it moved to place itself next to the carcass of the dead horse. Snarling a couple more times, it seemed, for the moment, quite content to allow them to leave. Reneeke was more than happy to oblige.
Step by step he entered the water. Further behind him, he heard Jaikus swimming with all speed toward the far shore. But such an act he could not afford to emulate, for to take his eyes from the mossback would be the worst sort of folly.
Knee-deep, he waved the brands back and forth. Their fuel now all but spent, the fire was beginning to subside. He hoped that with the threat to its food moving off, the mossback would no longer wish to pursue. After all, it had just eaten its fill, and that was normally the time when predators were the most passive. Though the way it continued snarling and pacing back and forth along the edge of the knoll, passive this creature definitely was not.
As soon as he reached the point where the water was to his upper chest, he tossed two of the brands aside. Having been the first ones lit, they were now little more than charred remains. With one hand free, he was able to increase his departure by using it to swim while still retaining the two burning brands in his other.
Stroke, stroke, glance back to the knoll. When he saw the mossback still near the carcass, he would continue on. It took six repetitions of that cycle before reaching shallower water where he could dispense with the swimming and resume walking along the bottom.
“We did it!” Jaikus cried. Grinning broadly, he held up the three packs.
Reneeke returned his grin. “Yes we did, Jaik.” Moving through the last of the water, he once again glanced back to the knoll. But with the withdrawal of the torches, the area had returned to darkness. Of the mossback, there was no sign.
He held the burning brands before him and saw how they were all but spent. “We better get out of here.”
Jaikus nodded vigorously. After handing Reneeke one of Master Hymal’s packs, and taking a burning brand in return, he turned toward the trees.
A god-awful roar split the night as a troll’s nightmarish visage entered the radius of the brand’s waning light. In the blink of an eye, the memory of something Charka once said flashed across his mind…
Where fire keeps mossbacks away, there are other creatures that it will attract.
Roaring once again, the troll attacked.
Chapter 14