Episode 13: The Trial, Part 3

We don’t have gymnasiums or even weights to lift, so I have to rely on more primitive methods to train young Artr’s body.  As he runs, he carries two baskets of rocks on a yoke around his neck.  Just watching him makes me tired.

“Keep at it, boy.  It’s not time to quit yet,” I shout at him.

“I don’t see why I need to do this,” Artr says.  “I beat Elgar, the strongest man in the village.  Haven’t I proven myself?”

“That’s not for me to say.  The master says you need to get stronger and faster if you’re going to fight the demon, so that’s what we’re going to do.  Now come on, no loafing.”

“Why can’t I fight him now?  I’m ready.”

“That not for me to say either.  I’m sure when the master thinks you’re ready, he’ll let you go.  Me, I would be grateful.  No sense hurrying to your execution.”

“You think he’s going to kill me?”

“I would almost guarantee it.  Now, keep those legs moving.  We still have a lot of work ahead of us.”

The boy shuts up and runs with the makeshift weights.  I expect him to collapse any minute, but he keeps going.  Maybe the master is right about the strength of the boy’s heart.  “It is the strongest muscle in the body,” Merlin said.  He was the first to figure that out.

“Still seems on the scrawny side to me,” I said.

“That is why you must train him.  Prepare his body for the Demon.”

“I’ll try.”

Once I decide I’ve tormented the boy enough for a little bit, we rest beside a creek.  I give him some bread and dried mutton to snack on.  We didn’t have all those protein shakes and so forth back then either.

“What’s this demon like?” Artr asks.

“Can’t say.  I’ve never met him.”

“But Merlin has.  Didn’t he say anything?”

“He only said the demon is someone you don’t want to trifle with.  That’s why we need to make sure you’re ready.”

“How will you know I’m ready if you don’t know who he is?”

“We’ll let the master decide that.  For now you just keep at it.”

We work at it for two weeks.  I can see the results in the boy’s muscles.  It’s not much difference, but he’s definitely lost the baby fat, his body lean and hard.  At night he stays in my hut in the forest, in large part so he won’t have to be near his parents.  Things have been a bit tense since the tournament, after which the chief banished Elgar from the village.  The brute swore revenge on his way out.

I can tell this weighs heavily on Artr as he pretends to sleep.  He finally rolls over to look at me.  “What do you suppose will happen to Elgar?”

“He’ll find himself some other village.  The master says there are plenty of them around these parts.”

“He promised he’d take revenge.  What if he tries to hurt Mother or Father?”

“Then you’ll have to stop him.”

“What if I don’t survive against this demon?  Then who will take care of them?”

“If you lose against the demon, then none of us will be safe.  Now go to sleep, lad.  We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

When I wake up in the morning, he’s not in the hut.  I don’t find him outside either.  I call his name, but he doesn’t answer.  I curse at myself and try to think of what to tell Merlin now that I’ve lost our great warrior.  I should have known from the way he was talking last night he had started to get second thoughts.

I head to the lean-to Beaux keeps for her and the sheep.  I hear her voice as I get close.  She’s laughing.  This is followed by a man’s laughter.  That backstabbing wench!  As I stomp towards the lean-to, I wish I’d brought a dagger to slice this man’s throat.

“Now see here—” I begin, but stop when I see it’s Artr with Beaux.  They’ve both got their clothes on.  Artr has a lamb in his lap; he’s trying to get the animal to drink some milk from a bowl.

“Oh, hello, Marlin.  I went out for a walk and ran into Beaux.  She’s showing me how to care for the lambs.”

“We’re supposed to be training you as a warrior, not a shepherd.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yes, well, give that mangy creature back to Beaux and then we can get to work.”

“Hold on,” Beaux says.  “He’s almost finished with it.  In the meantime, let’s go outside to talk.”

We wander off into the forest so Artr can’t hear us.  Then I say, “Are you daft, woman?  Why are you teaching him about shepherding?  You know what he needs to do.”

“He’s scared, that’s why.  Can’t say as I blame him.  That master of yours has put the whole world on this boy’s shoulders, all because he won’t do his fighting for himself.”

“He can’t destroy the Demon on his own.  If he could, I’m sure he would.”

“I’m sure,” Beaux says and rolls her eyes.  “Or maybe he’s a coward like his apprentice.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you two are using this poor boy to do your dirty work.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it.  He won the tournament.  If he wasn’t ready, then he shouldn’t have insisted upon entering.”

Beaux sighs.  “Fine.  But for his sake, don’t push him so hard.”

“In a few weeks it’ll be over.  Then he can come out here and play with lambs.”

I brush past Beaux and stomp back to the lean-to.  The lamb is finishing the last of the milk.  Artr sets it on the ground and then pats its head.  He looks up at me.  “I suppose we should get back to work.”

TO BE CONTINUED...

What nefarious schemes has the nasty Elgar been concocting?  Find out tomorrow!

Episode 12: The Trial, Part 2

The tournament is held in a field outside the village.  Everyone capable of dragging themselves out there attends.  We don’t have currency, but people make wagers with food and livestock.  If I weren’t in charge of the thing, I would put Beaux’s entire herd of sheep on Elgar.

By random lot we pair the men up, all except young Artr.  He gets what in modern terminology would be called a “bye.”  I see him off by himself, practicing his skills, such as they are.  He doesn’t have a prayer.

The chief, his wife, Beaux, and I sit together to oversee the tournament.  There aren’t much in the way of rules except to forbid killing anyone; the village can’t afford to lose all its able-bodied men in a contest like this.  Instead, the opponents will try to beat each other into submission, until one finally yields.

I munch on a half of chicken while the combat begins.  As you would expect, it’s not a civilized affair.  There’s a lot of bruising and blood.  Elgar of course draws the most amount of blood; his opponent will probably never walk properly again, not unless Merlin uses magic to fix both of his legs.

I have to look away as Elgar finishes his match.  The poor man he fought is dragged away screaming and crying.  If he’s lucky, he’ll survive the night.  “Bring me another!” Elgar roars.

For the sake of the rest of the village, I award Elgar a bye for the next round while his brother gets into it.  Artr is much scrawnier than his brother, but he’s quick.  Apparently he’s been practicing with his spear as well.  He draws a cut on Bleeth’s left pectoral before Bleeth can even move.  Then Artr whips the end of the spear around to bash the other man in the stomach.  Bleeth crumples to the ground.  While he gasps for air, he pleads for mercy.

“Perhaps the boy is more ready than I thought,” the chief says.

By the time we’ve winnowed it down to two, there’s no doubt Artr can handle himself.  There’s also no doubt for a fat slob the chief has some good DNA; only his sons remain.  The chief’s wife—and mother to Artr—takes her husband’s arm.  “You can’t let them fight each other.”

“Why not?  It was bound to happen eventually.  It might as well be now.”

“But Elgar will kill Artr.  You must know that.”

“He won’t kill him.  He’ll just break a few bones.”

The chief’s wife wails at this and then runs off, unable to watch.  “She’s right,” Beaux whispers into my ear.  “You know what will happen.”

“What am I supposed to do about it?” I ask.  “The boy wants to be a warrior.  This is what it means to be one.”

“As if you would know.”

“It’s out of my hands.  Let the boys decide it for themselves.”

They march into the circle, each armed with a club similar to Beaux’s.  “You might as well scurry back to Mother’s bosom,” Elgar says.  “You’ll save yourself a lot of pain that way.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Artr says, though his voice quivers.

Without further preamble, they have at it.  Elgar presses his advantage in height, weight, and strength by charging right at Artr, swinging his club.  The more nimble Artr dances out of the way.  He manages hit Elgar in the back of the leg, but the blow doesn’t faze him.  He spins around to hit Artr in the back with his club; the boy sprawls on the ground.

Artr is quick enough to roll out of the way before Elgar’s club can cave in his skull.  Artr hits Elgar in the back of the leg again, this time in that sweet spot behind the knee.  Elgar shouts with pain and staggers.  Artr hits him in the back, but it’s too late.

Elgar spins around with his club.  He swings it from underneath to knock the club from his brother’s hands.  Another blow sends Artr to the ground, on his back.  Elgar lands a flurry of blows that leave Artr bloodied and bruised.

“That’s enough,” I say.  “The fight is over.”

“It’s over when I say it is,” Elgar growls.

“It is over, son,” the chief says.  “You have won.”

“It’s over when I say it is, old man.”  He resumes beating on his brother, who by now should be unconscious and yet somehow the lad is still trying to fetch his club.  The chief and I should try to stop Elgar, but neither of us has the courage for it.

Beaux gets to her feet.  “If you won’t stop him, then I will!”

Before she can try, I see our salvation on its way.  It’s a streak of gold light whizzing towards us from the south.  As it gets closer, I see it’s a spear made entirely of gold.  Like a cruise missile nowadays, it circles over the battlefield, where Elgar continues to pummel his brother.  Then the spear dives straight to the ground to land within Artr’s reach.

The boy is no dummy; he immediately grabs the spear.  He whips the end of the spear around to hit his brother in the side of the head.  Elgar staggers to the ground.  A kick to the midsection and Elgar ends up on his back.  Artr holds the spear point at his throat.  “It is finished.  Yield.”

“I will not.”  Elgar spits blood and then grins.  “You’ll have to kill me.”

Artr stares at him for a moment.  He pulls the spear back.  Everyone watches with anticipation.  Then Artr brings the end of the spear around to slap his brother on the side of the head again.  Elgar passes out.

Beside me, Merlin says, “We’ve found our warrior.”

TO BE CONTINUED...

Monday is the training montage!

Episode 11: Into the Fire

The volcano isn’t on any maps.  It doesn’t exist in this world; you can only find it on another plane of existence, one where mortal man can never go.  But Merlin is no mortal man, so it’s as easy for him to enter this realm as walking to the local pub. 

He steps through the opening from one world to another and enters a field of daisies.  He remembers the last time he saw a field of daisies, on his long trip from Egypt to Britain.  Such a sight was unlike anything in Egypt with all that sand and heat that made it impossible for wildflowers to grow.

A horse nibbles on some grass in the field.  It’s not a normal horse, though; it’s got feathered wings like those of a giant bird.  In modern parlance it’s a Pegasus.  The winged horse looks up from its feeding to glare at Merlin.  It whinnies a challenge.

“I’ve come to see your master,” Merlin says.

The horse continues to glare.  It allows Merlin to get close enough to put a hand on its neck.  “I promise you have nothing to fear from me.”

The horse snorts.  Still, it allows Merlin to swing onto it.  The moment Merlin steadies himself, the Pegasus extends its wings.  It flaps the wings as it runs across the field.  After a few moments, it achieves enough lift to take flight.

Though he’s been from one end of the earth to the other and beyond, he still can’t help but grab the horse’s mane as it gets airborne.  He grabs it even tighter as the Pegasus sails past the land and over the ocean.  Merlin is dignified enough not to get airsick, though he does feel a bit queasy.

After what feels like hours, the volcano appears.  There’s nothing around it, just a twenty-story volcano that seems to rise straight out of the water.  Merlin takes a deep breath as the Pegasus dives into the opening of the volcano.  Not even Merlin can help but scream as the horse plunges into a lake of molten rock.

The lava is just an illusion.  The horse comes through the other side of it without a hair singed, as does Merlin.  He lets out a sigh as the horse begins a gentler descent into a temple of white marble.

Waiting for him is a man at least ten feet tall with biceps bigger around than Merlin’s waist.  His thick sandy beard has dried and scorched patches indicative of someone who spends a lot of time near an open flame.  Indeed he does spend a lot of time near an open flame, as he is the world’s greatest blacksmith.

“I should have known it would be you,” the giant growls.

“Forgive my intrusion, Heph.  I’ve come on a matter of great importance.”

“It had better be.  Odin keeps badgering me to finish this hammer for his no-account son.  The last thing a spoiled princeling needs is a magic weapon, if you ask me, but it’s not my place to interfere.  Come, we can discuss what you need along the way.”

Heph’s house is sized to fit him, which made any mortal man feel like a mouse scurrying about.  Most of the house is deserted, a layer of dust covering the furniture.  “I heard what happened with Aphrodite—”

“Do not speak her name!” Heph roars.  “Traitorous wench.  She dares to leave me for that preening fool Ares?  God of war.  Hah!  He wouldn’t know what to do with a sword if it bit him in the arse.”

“Very true.  I’m afraid I have a bit of woman trouble myself.”

“Ah, yes, the false goddess.  Isis.  I knew that would go badly.  Why Anubis ever thought to give her such power is beyond me.  And that demon of hers with those claws.  If she wanted real weapons, she should have come to me.  But I suppose that’s what brings you here.  You want me to design something to kill her?”

“I’m afraid such a thing is beyond even your skill, not with the protection of a god of the underworld.”

“You could let me at least try.  I would enjoy the challenge.”

“For now I only need something to slay her servant, the demon.”

Heph snorts at that.  “And I thought you had a real challenge for me.”

“There are a few other items I will require.  Do you have boots around here?  Perhaps a spare tunic and loincloth?”

“I’m sure I can find something.  What else do you need?”

“I’ll need a helmet.”

“Well, that’s still not much of a challenge, but it’ll have to do.”  Heph bends down to tap Merlin on the shoulder with one huge finger.  “Come, let us see what we can find.”

TO BE CONTINUED...

Tomorrow the warrior is chosen...

Episode 10: The Trial, Part 1

By the time I wake up the next morning, Merlin has gone.  I have no idea where he’s gone, but his instructions from last night come back to me.  With a groan I sit up and then look around for some dried meat to snack on for breakfast.

I’m still eating when Beaux shows up.  She doesn’t bother to announce herself; she just dives right through the door.  “Figures you wouldn’t be up and about yet,” she says.

“Care for a bite?” I ask.

“I’ve already eaten.”

“I’m sure you have, but this is better than some berries and nuts.”

“I haven’t time and neither do you.  You’re supposed to be in the village.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because he told me before he left.  Now get moving.  You can finish eating on the way.”

I grumble to myself, but soon enough we’re on our way.  I try to make small talk, but she has none of that.  She’s more concerned about those sheep of hers.  By the time she gets back, they’ll probably all have run off or gotten themselves eaten by wolves.

“I don’t know why you bother with them.  They’re just stupid sheep.”

“At least I’m good at something.”

           “There you go again.  I’m the apprentice to the most powerful conjurer in the whole land.  What more do you want from me?”

“You’re his assistant.  Or his manservant is more like it.”

“Manservant?  I don’t change his bloody robe for him, woman.  I am indispensable to him.”

“Is that why he left without you?”

“Bah.  There’s no reasoning with you.”  I’d like to stomp away from her, but she can easily keep up with me.  “Why don’t you just let me handle this?”

“Because you’ll botch the whole thing, is why.”

“And what would you know about finding a warrior?”

“More than you.  The only thing you ever fought were Gren’s kittens—and you lost.  Just look what happened with Greetha—”

“Bloody witch took me by surprise is all.”

Beaux brandishes her club.  “I’m a lot closer to a warrior than you’ll ever be.”

“Fine, you can come along, but I’m the one in charge.”

She gives me a nasty look, but holds her tongue the rest of the way into the village.  Though Elgar is still sore about the last time we met, he escorts us to his father’s hut.  “Where is the conjurer?” the chief asks.

“He’s attending to other business.  He’s asked me to come in his stead.”

“For what?  Have you come to claim my title, little man?”

“Not at all.  My master has asked me to seek out the village’s bravest warrior for a special mission.”

“What sort of mission?”

“There is a very nasty bloke on his way here.  A black demon.  He’s going to lay waste to everything unless we find a warrior who can stop him.”

The chief gets to his feet with a groan.  He stands beside Elgar and puts a hand on his shoulder.  “You need look no further than my son.  He is without equal.”

“The master has made it very clear I’m supposed to find someone who is brave, strong, and pure of heart.  I’m not sure Elgar meets all those qualifications.”

“What are you saying, old man?  My heart is purer than anyone’s in this village!”

Beaux puts a hand on my arm.  “What Marlin is saying is that we want to make sure.”

“Yes, exactly.”  I clap my hands together.  “I suppose the simplest way to make sure would be to have a tournament.”

“What sort of tournament?” the chief asks.

“We’ll have every able-bodied man in the village duel to determine who is the best.”

Elgar grins at us.  “That sounds amusing.  Then you will see without a doubt that I am the best warrior in this village.”

“What about being pure of heart?” Beaux asks me once we’re outside.

“We’ll worry about that later,” I say.  I just hope the master is done by that time, because I have no idea what he means; I only know Elgar can’t be what he has in mind.

The chief makes the announcement to the rest of the village.  There are twenty men in total; the chief does not include himself.  Only after the announcement does young Artr pull his father aside.  “Father, what about me?”

“What about you?  He said able-bodied men.” 

“I’m sixteen.  I’m old enough to go to war.”

The chief stares at his son for a moment and then sighs.  “Very well.  Add the boy to your list.”

I nod at the chief, though I know the boy has no chance.  He’ll be lucky if one of the others doesn’t snap him in half.  Well, it’s his funeral.

I turn to Beaux and say, “Now that that’s settled, how about we get some decent food?”

“You and your stomach,” she grumbles, but she follows me to get a joint of mutton.  We eat it together beneath a tree.  Maybe there’s a good side to this job after all.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Where has Merlin gone?  Find out tomorrow!

Superhero Trivia Question

It's the second Wednesday of the month and so today is the superhero trivia question.  I'm taking these from 1001 Comic Book Trivia Questions by Rich Meyer.

This question is ridiculously easy:  What super-villain was inadvertently responsible for the formation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers?

Answer in the comments.  First one to get it right gets a $5 gift card to Amazon in their email or Facebook.  (Again, I'm not mailing a $5 gift card.  I'm not sure Amazon would even let you do that.)

If you aren't first, never fear!  One respondent will be selected by random number generator to receive a PDF copy of my book, A Hero's Journey!  If you already have it, give it to someone else!

Also I've decided on what I call the "Andrew Leon Rule" where the same person cannot win the trivia question each month.  So if you win this month you won't be eligible to win the $5 for another 3 months (until October).  But you can still win the participation prize.  Neil Vogler is already disqualified this month for winning September's question and Sandra Almazan is disqualified for winning October's question.

Good luck!!!

BTW, later today Episode 10 of Dark Origins, Tales of the Scarlet Knight Volume 0 will post, so you don't want to miss that or you'll be completely lost...

Episode 9: The Messenger

BTW, if you want to catch up on all the episodes of this series, there's a link in the Index on the right side of the screen that says "Volume 0" and will display every episode that has posted to date.  You can also find it under the "Special Features" tab below the main header graphic.  So's you know.

After he saved the village from the plague, Merlin could have taken over as chief.  Of course he refused that honor.  He might have at least consulted me first to see if I wanted to be chief.  That would surely have reconciled Beaux and I.

He refuses to even accept a hut in the village.  Instead, he goes back to our makeshift hut in the forest with its floor of moss.  He does allow the villagers to give us some good pelts to sleep on.

“I don’t see why you won’t live in the village.  I thought that’s what you wanted,” I say.

“I only wished the villagers to accept me.”  He pulls his bear pelt tighter around him.  “I prefer to stay out here, close to the world.”

“That’s all well and good, but I prefer to be someplace where I don’t have to worry about being eaten by wolves.”

“No harm will come to us here.”

“I suppose.”  As I curl up beneath my bear pelt, I put a hand on my midsection, where Greetha cut me.  Merlin healed the wound with a wave of his hand, but I can still feel some pain every now and then.  We didn’t have psychology back then to understand the concept of “phantom pain.”

“I don’t suppose with all that power of yours, you could make Beaux decide she doesn’t want to stay with those sheep anymore?”

“I could, but then she wouldn’t be the woman you love, would she?”

“Curse your damnable logic,” I grumble.

I’ve just fallen asleep when a flash of white light wakes me up.  I open my eyes to see the glowing form of a young woman.  “What are you?” I blurt out.

My master is far calmer.  He looks up at the woman and nods.  “Hello, Anybl.  I expected to see you soon.”

“You knew she was coming and you didn’t tell me?”

“I saw no reason to worry you.”  Merlin waves his hand to restart the fire.  The girl’s unearthly glow fades.  She sits down across from us by the fire.  To my surprise, she starts to sob.

“What’s the matter, woman?  I didn’t mean anything—”

“We’ve failed you, my lord!” Anybl wails.

Merlin goes over to the girl to wrap her in a hug.  She looks so much younger now, practically a child.  He strokes her brown hair and says, “It’s all right.  You did what you could.”

“It wasn’t enough.  I’m sorry.”

“The fault is mine.  I underestimated his power.”

“What are you two talking about?”

“The Black Demon is on the march.  She’s sent him to take me back.”

“That doesn’t make it any clearer.”

Merlin sighs.  “My former master is a woman named Isis.  She believes herself to be a goddess and indeed her powers are as strong as any god, so long as she maintains her strength.  She does this by feeding on the souls of the living.  The Black Demon is her servant.  She created him to retrieve sacrifices for her.”

“And she was your master?”

“Yes.  I studied under her for a time, until I realized the darkness in her heart.  Then I fled to this place.  Now she wants me back.”

“You must stop this demon,” Anybl says.  “Only you have the power—”

“Not even I can destroy her creation.”  Merlin shakes his head.  In that instant he looks like just a normal man, not the greatest conjurer in the land.  “To defeat the Demon, we need a warrior, one who is brave, strong, and most importantly pure of heart.”

“How do we do that?”

Merlin claps me on the shoulder.  “Go to the village and search among the warriors there.”

“What about you?”

“I have other business to attend to.”

“What of me, my lord?” Anybl asks.

“Go back to your coven.  They will continue to grow and flourish.  When the time comes, I may call on you again.”

“Yes, my lord,” Anybl says.  She gets unsteadily to her feet.  “We will be ready next time.  I swear it.”

Merlin nods to her.  The girl disappears in another flash of light.  I turn to Merlin.  “What is this business you’re attending to?”

“You will find out, in time.  For now, we must rest.  Tomorrow we have much work to do.”

I want to argue, but Merlin puts his hand to my forehead.  I’m asleep before I even hit the ground.  That’s the trouble with having a conjurer as your roommate.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Tomorrow the search for a great warrior begins...

Episode 8: Fight & Flee

Before today's episode of the series hardly anyone seems to be reading (cough, cough), here's another BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:  Go and sign up today to be a part of Briane Pagel's big XMas Blogfest!  You get to give away a copy of your book on the day you sign up for and all the other days you can win FREE books!  You give a little, you get a little, right?  So go now!  Do it!!!  On November 30, not only will I have the last episode of this series, but you can also win an ebook!  Whether it's A Hero's Journey or We Are Now I haven't decided yet.  The latter should be available by then, but you never know.

Now on with the show...

The two girls battle in the snow.  Hise, the older of the two, moves with supernatural grace to duck under the swing of the other girl’s staff.  Syva, the youngest of all the girls, curses in her native tongue.  She groans when Hise’s stick hits her in the back and sends her tumbling to the ground.

Hise looks down on Syva and bows slightly.  “You fight well,” she says, “but you lack patience.”

Syva jumps to her feet.  “Let’s do it again.”

“That’s enough,” G’lyna says from up in a tree.  She drops to the ground, between the combatants.  “Let’s go inside and get some dinner.”

“I don’t need to eat,” Syva insists.  “I can beat her.”

“I’m sure you can, but I’m hungry.  Let’s go.”

Syva looks ready to argue, but then drops her staff.  She follows after G’lyna and Hise into the main hut, where the others await them.  It’s a tight squeeze for fifty girls, but they’ve learned to manage over the past six moons.

As if reading her thoughts, Anybl touches G’lyna’s arm.  “We need to talk.”

They go outside, back into the cold.  Anybl asks, “How are they doing?”

“I’m sure Hise could beat any man and Syva isn’t far behind.”

“Good.  We’ll need them soon.”

“How soon?”

“A few days.  The Black Demon is almost here.”

“We won’t be ready in a couple of days for something like that.”

“I know, but we don’t have a choice.”

***

Agga, who has the best foresight of any of the girls, keeps track of the Demon’s movements.  As Anybl said, he’s coming straight for them, marching through the mountains without pause to rest.  He walks even through the night.

“If we can lure him into the pass then we can trap him,” says Sofe, the most intelligent of them.  She lays out their strategy.  Hise and Syva will draw the Demon into the pass, where the others will fire down upon him.  G’lyna doesn’t like it, but she can’t argue with the logic either.

“Just one thing,” G’lyna says.  “I’m going with Hise and Syva.”

“G’lyna—”

“It’s my decision.”

Anybl looks into her eyes for a moment and then nods.  “How soon should he be in the area?”

“By dawn, I think,” Agga says.

“Good.  Then let us prepare.”

***

G’lyna huddles with Hise, Syva, and Agga behind an outcropping of rock.  Agga has her eyes closed to watch the Demon’s movements.  As she foresaw, the Demon will be near the pass in less than an hour, as the sun rises.

Beside G’lyna, Syva sharpens a dagger.  “I can’t wait to slit his throat.”

“We’re not to fight him,” G’lyna says.

“But—”

“We won’t fight him except as a last resort.  Understand?”

Like a scolded child, Syva looks down at the snow and nods.  “I understand.”

The sun is beginning to rise when G’lyna sees the Demon for herself.  Despite the cold he’s bare-chested and his legs are mostly bare as well.  He wears a black headdress shaped like a dog and a pair of bear paws on his hands.  The claws on his hands look much sharper than those of a normal bear.

Before G’lyna can say anything, Syva charges out from hiding.  She screams the war cry of her village as she lunges at the Demon.  He lets her plunge the dagger into his chest.  The dagger shatters in Syva’s hand.  Without a word, the Demon backhands Syva with one clawed hand.  She slams into a rock and goes limp.

The Demon starts towards her.  G’lyna stands up and puts up a hand.  The snow around the Demon begins to swirl.  “Agga, get Syva back to camp.  Hise and I will deal with the Demon.”

Agga nods.  She vanishes herself across the gap to where Syva lays; with a flash of light, both are gone.  Meanwhile, Hise trots towards the Demon with far more caution than Syva.  G’lyna continues to swirl the snow around the Demon, not that it seems to faze him.

Hise is the best warrior G’lyna has seen, but even she is no match for the Demon.  She ducks under his claws a few times.  Unlike Syva, she tries her dagger on the Demon’s left hamstring.  Again the dagger shatters.  Then he plunges a clawed hand into her right leg.  With a scream, Hise collapses.

G’lyna vanishes herself across the gap to scoop Hise up.  G’lyna vanishes her and Hise back a few feet.  “Come and get us.” 

Then she runs.

***

The Demon follows them into the pass without a care.  G’lyna plants herself in the middle of the pass with Hise still in her arms.  She stares back at the Demon.  “It’s time to end this,” she says.

At that moment Anybl and the others reveal themselves on either side of the pass.  G’lyna vanishes herself and Hise up to meet them as they begin to rain down ice, static energy, and fireballs at the Demon.  He stands in the middle of the pass, absorbing the punishment without flinching.

“It’s not working!” G’lyna says.

Anybl nods.  “Then we have to go to the backup plan.”

G’lyna is going to ask what this is, but then she feels the ground tremble.  Snow and rock at the end of the pass begin to collapse.  Before long, an avalanche descends upon the Demon.  Several feet of snow and stone entomb the monster.

G’lyna lets out a sigh of relief, until she sees the snowy tomb shake.  A clawed hand appears through the snow, followed by another.  Then the dog-shaped headdress bursts through.  The Demon glares up at them.  “I am not here to trifle with children.  Return to your homes and you will be spared.”

“What do we do now?” Sofe asks.

“We retreat,” Anybl says.  “I hope Merlin has better luck.”

TO BE CONTINUED...

Tomorrow a visitor drops in on Merlin and Marlin...

OCULUS IS HERE!

The problem with some small publishers (as I've discovered) is they kind of just toss books out there without the build-up you'd get with a Big Six publisher.  I mean how many years was it you could preorder JK Rowlings grown-up book?  But smaller operations tend to just chuck things out whenever they're finished, which can leave you scrambling to get the word out when it's your book that's out.

Anyway, grumpy mini-rant over.  Sales pitch beginning!

You can now go out and buy the soon-to-be-award-winning follow-up to Michael Offutt's Slipstream, called Oculus!  There's lots more creepy spiders involved this time (apparently) and more "ice hockey" and parallel worlds and killsuits and a bunch of science a doofus accountant like me can't understand and I'm sure a whole lot more!

I already have a copy on my Kindle waiting to be read, so now's your turn to get yours!  This link has all the purchasing choices you'll need.  But you really should buy from the publisher direct so the author gets more money.  I'm just saying.   
Buy it now!!!

And if you have a Kindle and like FREE books, tomorrow you can get Tony Laplume's collection of short stories Monorama for FREE!  (Note I said Tomorrow, as in November 10, not right now--unless it is November 10 right now.)

Episode 7: Training Camp

Not quite so far south, in what will become France, G’lyna watches her new recruits and sighs.  Anybl had warned her the other girls would need guidance; Glyna had hoped it wouldn’t require this much guidance.  The youngest, Syva, is almost feral, to the point she tried to eat a spoon on the first night.

The beautiful Agga on the other hand can’t stop herself from complaining about every little thing.  “Why do we have to stand out here in the cold?” she whines.

“In order to learn control, you need to get in touch with the world around you.”

“Can’t I do that in front of the fire?”

“No,” G’lyna snaps.  She supposes this is the problem with trying to manage a bunch of teenagers.  She wasn’t this bad when she first began to quicken, was she?  If she was, it was because she had to fear for her life, until Anybl found her.  Girls like Agga were just spoiled brats used to having everything their own way.

“Patience,” Anybl whispers in her ear.  Her friend has a talent for appearing out of thin air the moment G’lyna needs her.  “It’s a big adjustment.”

At that moment there’s a scream.  G’lyna turns to see Syva on top of Sofe, the brightest of their recruits.  The younger girl shrieks something in her native tongue while trying to claw Sofe’s eyes out.  G’lyna is going to intervene until Anybl puts a hand on her shoulder.

A moment later, Syva goes flying and lands at G’lyna’s feet.  Sofe stands up, her hands glowing.  Anybl hurries over to her to put a hand on her shoulder.  “It’s all right, Sofe.  You can relax now.  No one will hurt you.”

“You should send that thing back to the woods where it belongs.”

“I want to go home,” Agga whines.

Most of the others seem to share that feeling, all except the stoic Hise, who just stands there with her arms crossed.  She hasn’t said more than five words that G’lyna can remember since she arrived from the farthest end of the world a week ago.  And yet she’s already the second-best student behind Sofe.

“Hise, take the others inside to warm up,” G’lyna says.  She grabs Syva by the arm.  The girl struggles to free herself, but can’t.  “Syva and I are going to have a little talk.”

She drags the girl into the forest, where no one else will be able to see or hear them.  At first Syva continues to struggle, but eventually she stops and plods along with G’lyna.  At a thicket, G’lyna motions to a log.  Syva sits down.

G’lyna brushes the wild dark red hair from Syva’s face to look into her green eyes; they’re the eyes of a frightened child, not an animal.  With a spell Anybl helped her with, G’lyna speaks in Syva’s native tongue.  “You don’t have to be afraid.  No one is going to hurt you.”

The girl only grunts at this.  G’lyna takes her hand.  “What happened?  What did Sofe say?”

“She said I was a dirty savage,” Syva says.

“And you thought that was a good reason to kill her?”

“I wasn’t going to kill her.  I just wanted to scare her.”

“I understand, but that was wrong.  Sofe is your sister and you should never, ever hurt your sister.”

“She’s not my sister.  My sisters are back home.  I should be with them, not out here.”

Now G’lyna began to understand.  Most of them had left family behind when they began to quicken, but for Syva it was different.  She had cared for her sisters like a mother, but then she had been forced to leave them behind so they wouldn’t be marked as demons and executed.

G’lyna sat next to Syva on the log.  She put an arm around the girl’s shoulder.  “I’m sure your sisters will be fine.  You taught them to take care of themselves, didn’t you?”

“They’re still so young.  Emba is just two summers old.  I should be with her.”

“I know, but you can’t.  None of us can be with our families.  But we have a new family now.  We’re all sisters:  you, me, and even Sofe.  And we have something very important to do.”

“We do?”

“Yes.  Anybl and I haven’t told the others yet, but very soon a darkness will descend upon the land.  We have been chosen to fight it.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, but I do know when the time comes, we will all need to work together.  It will take our combined strength to destroy this evil.  If we don’t, then it’ll overtake the whole world—including your sisters.”

Syva considers this for a few minutes.  She finally nods.  “Then I will do what I must to help,” she says.

“Good.  You can start by apologizing to Sofe.  But first, let’s get you a bath.  You do stink a little.”

Syva grins at this and gives G’lyna’s hand a squeeze.  Then they go to the stream to wash up.  G’lyna helps Syva clean her clothes as well and ties her hair back so it no longer covers her face.  “Now you look very pretty,” G’lyna says.

“Thank you,” Syva says.  The girl leans against G’lyna as they trudge back to the camp, where their sisters await them.

 TO BE CONTINUED...

Monday is the epic battle between the witches and the Black Demon.  Who will survive?

Episode 6: Darkness Rising

In the land not yet known as Egypt, a beautiful woman rested on a couch and stared into a pool of dark water.  She was the most beautiful woman in perhaps the whole world at that point; she certainly thought so.  As she looked into the water, she didn’t ask it who was the fairest in the land; she had something much larger on her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a scream.  A pair of young men crashed to the stone floor in front of her couch.  They quivered there while their attacker stood over them.  Their attacker was a man clad in a black loincloth and an equally black headdress in the shape of a dog’s head—the symbol of the god Anubis.  On each hand the monster wore a gauntlet made of the paws of a bear, an animal quite exotic for Egypt of the time. 

The claws on the gauntlets were even sharper than those of a normal bear; the monster proved this when he sliced open the chest of one man.  With the precision of a surgeon, he cut out the man’s heart.  The organ was still beating when he presented it to his mistress.

She cupped it in her hands to watch it beat.  “This is all you bring me?  This is hardly worthy of my dogs,” she growled.

“I am sorry, my master,” the monster said.  “I will go find others to serve you.”

“No, these will do.  I have another use for your talents.”

The monster cut out the second heart while his master devoured the first.  She didn’t eat it the way one would eat an apple.  Instead, she held the heart up to her mouth and it simply dematerialized.  She let out a sigh as if she’d just eaten a joint of mutton.

She motioned to her servant for the second heart.  She devoured it in the same way.  Then she leaned back on the couch while a couple of slaves scurried in to take the bodies away.  They worked quickly and silently so they wouldn’t be next up on the menu.

Once she and the monster were alone, the woman gestured to the pool of water.  “Several moons ago we lost something important,” she said.

“Forgive me, master.  He was more cunning than I anticipated.”

“Of course he was,” she said.  “He was my most gifted student.”

“You wish for me to find him?”

“There’s no need to find him.  I know exactly where he is.  He’s in a land far to the north.  He hopes to avoid my gaze there.  The fool doesn’t realize he can’t go anywhere to escape my notice.”

“Then I will go there and kill him.”

“No, you will not kill him.  Bring him back to me.  But be warned, he’s preparing for your arrival.”

“I won’t fail you again, master.”

“I should hope not.”

The monster bowed to her.  “I will make ready to leave at once.  If I may be so bold, though, what will you do while I am gone?  Who will harvest your sustenance?”

“I can take care of myself for a few moons.”  She shook her head.  “I hate to have to dirty my hands with this rabble, but it’s necessary.”

“Would it not be easier for you to go to the traitor?  With your power, you could be upon him in seconds.”

“Are you questioning my wisdom?”

“Not at all, my master.”

“Good.  Now go.  Find Merlin and bring him back to me.  Let no one stand in your way.”

The monster bowed again and then backed out of the room.  He set out on foot to the north, to where Merlin—and me—waited.  In her palace, the beautiful woman leaned back on her couch and sighed.  She had made a mistake in underestimating Merlin once, but she wasn’t going to make that mistake again.  This time she would make certain to destroy him—and anyone else who got in her way.

TO BE CONTINUED...

 Tomorrow we return to the witch coven as they prepare for the fight of their lives...