CHAPTER 12
Two months had passed and training was coming along better than Tornaze expected. There were still a few issues concerning going home, but for the most part the four understood it was out of their hand and finally accepted that fact. They had learned basic magic and numerous higher level spells. Each had been given a spell book to assist in their learning, and to record new spells. In addition, they also received a medallion for protection, a ring to amplify their powers, and a small bag containing 20 pieces of gold for their quest.
On the final morning of their training in the tower, Tornaze sat the four down and had a long talk with them. He praised each of them in the diligence they showed in learning their special ability. After talking several minutes, Sara informed him that they were all home sick and still worried about being able to get home. “I thought you each understood that we are looking for the entrance and will let you know when it is found. There is still time to get you home before your people start missing you. You must focus on the task at hand and not about the future,” said Tornaze. “I have prepared you the best I can, with what little time we had. You must travel north of the mountains to find the stone of Yatuku. This quest will be very trying and have you going into places you would have never imagined. You must stay together in your decisions to accomplish your quest or you will meet with devastating results,” Tornaze explained to them.
The four were curious and waited for additional information from Tornaze on what he meant about “there is still time before your people start missing you. They were waiting for the right time to ask the meaning, but each of them lost their train of thought when he said “devastating results. They soon departed the wizard’s tower, forgetting to inquire about what was meant by his statement about home.
Before leaving the city, they stopped to gather their belonging and say goodbye to Ralph. After arriving, they went to their guest rooms and changed back into their traveling clothes given by the Elves. They all joined Ralph in the sitting room. Ralph once again thanked them for their help and told them he had a gift for each of them.
When they walked out back of the house toward the barns, there standing in front of them were four riding horses and a pack horse. Jake said, “We can’t accept these, it is too much of a gift.” Ralph said, “It is no problem. I have many more and will not miss a few. I have also ensured there is additional money, supplies and food for your journey.” They acted as if it was Christmas morning and had gotten everything on their list they wanted. Each thanked Ralph. Jake said, “We will stop back by here to see you, if it’s okay.” Ralph said, “It would be my honor to have you back. Be safe!”
***
The group mounted up and rode for the upper gate. Sara said, “This sure is a lot better than walking!” Jake said, “I agree.” Everyone seemed happy, except George. He was not enjoying the ride like the others were. He had never ridden a horse and was having a difficult time with it. All Tammy could do was smile at him. “George…” she said, “go with the flow of the horse. You’re fighting the horse’s movement.” Replying stone faced George said, “That’s easily for you to say. I’m being bounced around like a rag doll.” Jake and Sara smiled at each other. As Jake went to say something, Sara shook her head to let him know not to say anything. Again Jake stuck his tongue out at her.
Within half an hour George was feeling better about riding. They were on the road heading north for an area they were told it was full of wild and dangerous creatures. Tammy asked, “How far is the next town?” George replied, “Ralph said it was just over two days ride to the next big city, but there are a few small farms where we can get some more supplies if we need them.”
***
The smooth road soon gave way to a wagon trail that was full of ruts. As they ventured further north, the area was getting dense with trees and bushes. Their speed had slowed to just faster than a walk. The ride so far had been very peaceful and enjoyable. The views and sounds of nature were pleasant. However, just after the group took a wide turn in the trail, the noises stopped.
Jake slowed his horse and started to look around. Sara asked, “What’s wrong?” Jake said, “There are no noises coming from any animals, not even the birds. It’s just too quiet.” George was now watching behind him as much if not more than, in front of him. Tammy and Sara sat higher in the saddles and totally on alert. Jake was focused on the trail in front, but continued watching for signs of anything that was out of the ordinary.
As they traveled down the road Jake spotted an area 30 yards ahead, where it seemed like something had disturbed the grass on the left hand side of the road. Whatever had done that, appeared to be heading up the side of the hill. The area was very thick with underbrush and hard to see within. Jake stopped, telling Tammy and Sara, “I need you to dismount and leave your horses here. Make your way along the left side of the road about 10 more yards and ready your bows.” He continued to survey the area and said, “Set up there and we will stay on the right side of the path. If something jumps out at us, shoot it.” The girls did as instructed. Jake and George drew their swords and held them down to the right side of their horses, concealing them as best they could.
Jake and George proceeded as if everything was normal. They were talking and laughing as if they were carefree. As they approached the area with the bent grass, all remained quiet. They moved a few more feet, when two men jumped out behind them and two in front, all with swords drawn. The leader, who was nasty and dirty in appearance with broken, yellow teeth, said, “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Two young lads looking to give us their horses and their gold, wouldn’t you say guys?” The others started laughing and agreeing.
Sara pointed to the man on the right, silently indicated to Tammy that she’d take him. She then pointed to Tammy and then the man on the left. Tammy nodded. Sara whispered, “On three. One, two, three!” They released their arrows both hitting their target dead center in their backs. The two men dropped instantly. Jake and George then jumped off their horses and engaged the two men in front. The two bandits didn’t expect that move and went on the defensive.
The swords clanked and rung as the struggle between the two groups raged. The fight went a lot longer than Jake wanted it to, he wanted a quick finish. After a few minutes, Jake had downed his bandit then moved to help George. The bandit saw Jake coming and took off running. Sara sighted in on him and released her arrow. It stopped him before he took an additional step. The arrow was well placed it the bandits neck.
Jake and George were both sweating up a storm by now, but the two were full of adrenalin and ready to keep going. The search of the four bandits revealed nothing of use. As they were moving the bodies off the road, Tammy said, “Do you think we should tell someone about this?” “Like who, the police?” George asked. Tammy appeared to be a bit shaken by the whole incident and wasn’t in the mood for humor. “Are you okay?” asked Sara. “Yeah, I just don’t want to get into trouble and get locked up for killing someone,” said Tammy. “We aren’t going to get into trouble. They were bandits that attacked us. We had no other chose,” said Jake as he was heading over to his horse. The others followed his lead. They remounted and were off again. George gave a slight grunt as his sore bottom hit the saddle. Sara smirked at Tammy. That helped relieve a bit of the tension as they watched George, listening to him groan about his soreness.
***
They rode for several more leagues before deciding to stop and grab a bite to eat, finding a spot up on a hill where they could see all around them. The area they had chosen was grassy, contained
very few trees and no underbrush. George said, “I think the horses are tired. Maybe we should walk them a little bit.” Winking at Sara, Tammy walked over and smacked him on the rear and said, “Is that why?” His reaction was priceless. You would have thought Tammy had stabbed him instead of tapping him. Everyone laughed, except George, who looked like he lost his best friend.
George asked, “Am I the only one sore from riding?” Jake said, “No, we all are, but you will get used to it.” George replied, “I feel like my rear will be bruised forever. It feels like it’s twice the size it should be.” Turning his back to Jake, he asked, “Does it look bigger to you?” Jake laughing so hard, he could barely catch his breath, managed to say, “No dear, it doesn’t look that wide.” Sara and Tammy couldn’t contain their laughter anymore. Falling on their backs and laughed so hard, they had tears rolling down their cheeks. George looked completely wounded at the lack of sympathy from his friends. Clapping George on the shoulder Jake said, “We do need to find some water for the horses, though. We can walk for a bit.” After eating they repacked their supplies and moved back to the path.
***
Walking until they found a creek for the horses to drink, they also refilled their supply of water. After remounting, Jake said, “I think it would be best if we rode a couple more leagues then started looking for a spot to stay the night. I don’t want to try finding a place in the dark.” George pointed at the ground at his feet and said, “This looks like a good spot right here.” Everyone laughed at him. Jake said, “A few more leagues and we will stop for the night.” George grumbled under his breath, which caused everyone to laugh even harder.
The ride was slow-going and the terrain was getting rockier. The hills were growing into mountains. The trees were thicker in this area, but on the good side of things, the underbrush was minimal. After three leagues of riding, Jake saw a small cave. It only went back about 10 feet and looked like a great spot to stop and set up camp. Jake got off his horse, walking over to inspect the cave.
The cave looked like it had been used many times for that same purpose. They unpacked the gear from the horses and put it at the back. Sara tied a guide rope and attached the horses to it so they could move around and eat. While Sara tended to the horses, Tammy gathered stones to create a fire ring. George and Jake gathered enough firewood for cooking, with enough to last through the night. After lighting the fire, they walked down to a creek and fetched water for cooking.
The sunlight disappeared very quickly: The sky was overcast, which didn’t allow any moonlight through. They set the watches Tammy first; George, Jake and Sara would follow up. Tammy was a nervous wreck during her watch. Every sound was a monster coming to get her. By the end of her watch her arm was tired from drawing her bow string back. She was so uptight, and mentally drained, when George moved, she almost shot him. “Whoa, Pocahontas I come in peace,” said George with his hands in the air. He smiled, gave her a hug and said, “Go get some sleep.”
George and Jake’s watches went by without incident. Jake allowed Sara to sleep a bit longer than she was scheduled. By the time he woke her up, she only stood a short watch before the sun started to rise. Jake was the first to wake, and joined her. Jake asked, “Everything okay? Sara said, “Yes, just a bit hungry. Boy, what I wouldn’t give for pancakes, sausage and a glass of cold milk.” Jake said. “We have this meat substance Ralph and Emma gave us, a potato thingy, and look… if I flatten this hard bread, it could act as a pancake.” Sara smiled and asked, “What about the maple syrup?” Jake smiled saying, “Do I have to think of everything myself.” Sara hit him. George and Tammy joined them a few minutes later and all ate a quiet breakfast. They took the horses to the creek so they could be watered before they traveled. The horses were saddled, packed and once again they were off.
***
The day’s ride went uneventfully. The sky was threatening rain, but it never came. They found a spot to stop for the night and set up camp. They changed the watch rotation to George, Jake, Sara, with Tammy taking the last one. George’s watch went by fast. Jake walked around a bit and found a spot to sit and still watch the campsite.
Before he knew it, the sun felt hot on his neck. Jake was wondering why the sun was shining so hot in the woods. When he opened his eyes, it was still dark. From behind him a deep growl of a voice said, “Human, if you move, I will kill you. Don’t move at all.” Jake was frozen. His mind was racing and he was wide awake now. The funny thing about it all was he didn’t sense any danger about the situation. The voice said, “If you cooperate, I will not harm you or your friends, but you will help us!”
What kind of help do you need from us?” An old graying wolf appeared in front of him and said, “I’m Bloodfang, leader of the wolves. Our home has been taken by a group of goblins and we need your help to rid them.” Jake could see several wolves in the area and was not about to do anything stupid. He said, “You have my word, if you spare me and my friends, we will help you the best we can. May I move now?” Bloodfang said, “Yes, but if you try anything or harm one of us, your sleeping friends will be killed.”
Jake sat up a bit straighter and looked to where the others were asleep. There were six to eight wolves lying near them. Jake looked at the horses and they were calm. Jake was wondering why the horses hadn’t awoken him with the scent of the wolves in the area. Jake asked, “Where is your home?” Bloodfang answered, “It is a ways from here. We will guide you.” Jake said, “My friends are going to be very scared if they wake up to a bunch of wolves.” Bloodfang gave a slight growl and the wolves around his friends got up, moving toward Bloodfang.
Bloodfang said, “We will watch while you sleep.” Jake said, “Thanks, but I need to let my friends know what is going on before I go to sleep. They would not understand if they woke up with all the wolves around.” Jake walked over to the group, waking them one at a time. Sara was first. She looked at Jake, and then noticed the wolf behind him. Sara started to scream, but Jake reassured her all was well. He then explained to her what was going on and that he agreed to help remove the goblins.
Jake then moved to wake George up. When he informed George about the wolves, he thought Jake was joking around. When he saw the wolves, he started scrambling backwards trying to get away from them. It took a bit of convincing by Jake before George settled down and also agreed. Tammy was more understanding and wasn’t startled by them. Soon they settled down to sleep, but sleep was hard to come by.
Meanwhile, 12 eyes that did not belong to the wolves watched everyone.
CHAPTER 13
Morning came quickly, and the group repacked the gear. Jake walked over to the pack of wolves, to keep from having Bloodfang come too close and spooking the horses. Talking with Bloodfang, Jake gave his word they would follow them to rid their home of the goblins. Bloodfang was satisfied with the talk and felt that the group could be trusted. Jake then explained to George, Tammy, and Sara that the wolves would stay a good distance in front of them to keep the horses calm. The wolves took off with the group following.
The wolves went through the forest not thinking about humans or the horses, who needed the trails. The low branches and trees were easy for the wolves to maneuver through, but a total pain for everyone on horseback. The riders were having trouble with the terrain and the travel was very slow. They rode most of the day, only taking a few short breaks. As night fell upon them, they set up camp. Bloodfang told Jake the pack would keep watch throughout the night so all of them could get a good night’s sleep. Everyone felt refreshed when they woke up.
***
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They had been riding two leagues that morning when Bloodfang stopped ahead and waited for Jake. Getting off his horse, Jake handed the lead to Sara. “Wait here so I can find out why we stopped” Jake said. He then walked up to where Bloodfang waited and asked, “Why did we stop?” “We’re near our home,” Bloodfang answered, “It’s only a little ways over this hill, down in the valley.”
Jake went back to inform the others. Sara said, “Now that we’re here, how are we going to get rid of the goblins?” Jake said, “I’m not sure. We’ll have to take a look at the area before we really know.” Dismounting the horses, they snuck up to the top of the hill with Bloodfang to take a look at the area. When they looked down into the valley, they could see many creatures moving around.
The wolves’ home was a partially ruined house sitting in the middle of an overgrown field. There wasn’t any cover between them and the house other than tall grass. There were no trees, hills, brushes or anything that would hide them from the view of the goblins. They could see a lot of goblins moving inside the house, as well as out. “So that’s what a goblin looks like,” Sara said. Jake turned to Bloodfang and asked, “How many are there?” Bloodfang answered, “Many.”
The goblins looked humanoid, but had slightly oversized heads and larger-than-normal ears. The goblins were just a little taller than the grass; Jake estimated them to be three to three and a half feet tall. They looked to weigh only 40 to 45 pounds. Their eyes were an odd orange color, dull and glazed. Their skin also had an orange tint to it. They were wearing dirty, drab-looking leathers or torn and tattered clothes.
Jake said, “The house is in the middle of the valley with no way to sneak up on it.” George asked, “So what do you think?” Jake couldn’t think of a way to approach the house without alerting the goblins. Bloodfang said, “There is no way to attack them without being seen. We will have to try drawing them away a few at a time.” Jake looked around and said, “If you can draw them to the right side of this hill, we can take them out.” Bloodfang looked confused and asked, “Where are you going to take them to?” Everyone smiled and Jake said, “We are not going to take them anywhere. The plan is to kill them.” Now that Bloodfang understood. He moved to inform the other wolves and soon after, they were sneaking toward the house.