Chapter 7
Whimpers
"Do you feel well enough to search for the others?" Thaddeus asked.
"I think so," Caleb said, rubbing his head, still sore from the beating the Hoggins gave him.
Caleb regained consciousness a little over an hour ago. After the Hoggins pelted him over the head with their tiny cudgels, it took quite some time before he felt like himself again. He stood up on wobbly legs with Thaddeus and Rasmere at his side. After a few moments his strength returned to him.
"Are you sure you can fly?" Rasmere asked. "There is no need to put yourself in harm's way. We can wait till morning and set out together."
"No!" Caleb said. "We must regroup with the others. This is no place for our group to be divided. I can sense the darkness that lurks here."
The name "Dead Lands" suited this place well. At one point in time, this was the most beautiful and prosperous countryside in all of Calencia, but now purged of life, color, and joy the Dead Lands was the dark portrait that remained. Many ambitious settlers tried to stake a claim in the Dead Lands after the Great War, hoping to resurrect its former beauty. They spent small fortunes planting fields and tress, none of which would take root in the desolate land. Hasbarie's dark magic soiled the earth. Most of the settlers left the Dead Lands, but a few lingered. Some returned after encountering the horrors that resided here. Some never returned at all. Tales of ghosts, witches, and the unnatural beasts roaming the Dead Lands circulated throughout Calencia. The Dead Lands grew into a haven for outlaws hoping to escape their pursuers in the tainted land, often meeting a fate far worse than justice. The Dead Lands had become the epitome of evil.
"I agree," Thaddeus said. "We must find Azonis and River. Are you sure you are able to fly?"
"Yes."
"Make haste. Go back to where we last saw them. Follow the river. If you do not see them, do not look around. It is too dangerous to be wandering about on your own," Thaddeus said.
"Wish me luck," Caleb said as he jumped into the air and shifted into a hawk.
"I fear for his safety," Rasmere informed Thaddeus as he watched Caleb soar away.
"He is capable enough," Thaddeus replied as he looked around the hamlet. "We need to start a fire. It will be dark soon. Hopefully a roaring fire will keep most of the creatures that lurk here at bay."
"Or draw them to us," Rasmere replied.
"I would rather have them coming at us by the light of a fire, than through the darkness," Thaddeus said.
The King and Sword collected the wood surrounding the poles that Rasmere and Caleb hung from and stacked it together. They amassed a large pile of brush, wood, and logs.
"How long will it burn?" Thaddeus asked.
"For the rest of the night, but we should wait before we ignite it," said Rasmere.
Thaddeus held his response upon hearing a low whimpering sound coming from one of the small structures inside the hamlet.
"Do you hear that?" the King asked, turning his ear to the sound.
"Yes. I wonder what it could be?" asked Rasmere.
"I do not wish to find out," Thaddeus said grimly. "It seems to be coming from over there." He pointed to a small building with a lock and chain on the door. "Whatever it is, it is locked up, and I plan on keeping it that way. At least until the others arrive."
The whimpering grew louder.
"What if it is a person?" Rasmere asked.
"It does not sound like a person to me," Thaddeus answered.
"Thaddeus," Rasmere said, soft and low. "We must go see. You can open the door, and I will stand ready. You have had enough battle for one day."
Thaddeus did not want to open the door. Every ounce of his intuition told him to turn away. Curiosity got the better of him.
"Very well," King Graystone said as he walked over to the building. "I will break the lock and open the door. Are you ready?"
Rasmere nodded as he drew back the Bow of Elmidas.
Thaddeus took his axe and knocked off the rusty iron lock. He grasped the handle and eased open the door.
A chilling darkness filled the structure. The dying sunlight did little to illuminate it. Rasmere stood in a defensive stance with his bow readied, but nothing came rushing out at him. Again, a whimper came from inside the building.
"It is some sort of animal," Thaddeus said. "Light me a torch."
Rasmere picked up the torch that the Hoggin King once carried. He searched the fallen King's body and found a striker made from two pieces of flint. He lit the torch and gave it to Thaddeus.
"Stand ready," Thaddeus said as he crept into the building.
Thaddeus surveyed the room, moving his torch from side to side until he saw the beast producing the noise. In the corner of the room lay a large animal, canine in nature, with its legs bound and jaws tied shut. It looked at him with saddened eyes and whimpered once more.
Rasmere entered the room, and said, "Leave it be, Thaddeus."
"What is it?" the King asked.
"A Hormut," Rasmere replied.
"A Hormut!" Thaddeus said. He gave the creature a second look. "I thought them long gone."
"As did I," Rasmere said. "I once faced a pack of Hormut's in the Stage. They are vicious, to say the least. We need to leave this beast where it lies."
Thaddeus looked at the Hormut long and hard, trying to decide how long the dog-like creature lay in this prison. Its ribs almost protruded from its skin. Dirt and blood masked the black and yellow fur covering its body.
But whose blood?
The Hormut looked at him again with its bright yellow eyes and whimpered once more.
"I cannot leave it here," the King said. "I am going to free it. If it attacks us, we will dispose of it. I cannot leave any creature to die like this."
"Very well," Rasmere replied. "Do not say you weren't warned."
Thaddeus knelt beside the Hormut and stuck out his hand. The beast shuttered at his touch.
"Do not worry. I mean you no harm. I only wish to free you," the King said, extending his hand once more. This time the beast did not pull away, but only shivered. It is scared to death. "I am going to free you. I mean you no harm. I only ask that you do not attack me. Understood?" Thaddeus asked.
The Hormut let out a short whine.
Thaddeus took his sword and cut the rope between the Hormut's front legs, then the back. The beast lay still on its side.
"That's it. Good boy," Thaddeus said as he patted the Hormut on its head. "I am going to cut the rope from your mouth, and you shall be free." The King cut the rope binding the Hormut's large jaws, patted it on the head, and stepped away. "You are free."
The Hormut took to all fours, almost running Rasmere over as it scurried out of the building, through the gate of the hamlet, and off into the forest.
Thaddeus came out of the building, and said, "See. I told you it would be all right."
"Things seem fine and well for the moment. I just hope he does not bring back his friends and attempt to make a meal out of us," Rasmere said.
"Now would be a good time to start the fire," Thaddeus said.
He walked over and threw the torch on the pile of wood and brush.
The ravenous blaze consumed the wood pile, sending fiery ash high into the dark sky. The raging fire illuminated the interior of the entire hamlet and a good deal of the area surrounding it.
"Let us hope that Caleb brings Azonis and River back before too much longer," Thaddeus said, sitting down a good deal away from the intense fire. "I fear we will be in for another long night."