Chapter 20
The Faerie horses were going to make
the journey substantially easier than Tolian had originally envisioned. Their gallop over the rough trail was light. They moved with ease over the roughest
mountain terrain, carrying their riders with the same steady gait, regardless
of the grade or condition of the paths that Kalabred chose. Tolian wasn’t exactly certain of where they
were headed, but they were making good time getting there.
She could feel the call of the
Moonstone vaguely to the northwest. It
tugged at her; its power no doubt diffused by the distance. The whole day she had been concentrating on
it as she rode, as it afforded her something other than her predicament to
think about. She tried to picture it in
her mind, and it duly appeared to her fancy as a mighty sword. Even thinking about it gave her a feeling of
power.
They had travelled long into the
evening, Kalabred seemed determined to reach some goal ere breaking their
journey. They had ridden largely in
silence the whole of the afternoon, and a weariness was on them as the sun
finished its descent into the valleys in the West. Tolian was about to ask Kalabred to find a
suitable campsite soon, when the druid suddenly stopped and dismounted.
“Excellent!” he cried with enthusiasm.
“What is?” asked Tolian as she rode
up next to him.
“Our speed,” Kalabred said. “Brythia, do you know where we are?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course!”
The druidess responded.
“Well I don’t know where we are,”
Tolian said with an impatient tone.
“Your pardon Tolian,” apologized
Kalabred. “I didn’t think we could make
it here, but when I saw how quickly we were moving, I decided to try. We are at the Druidic temple of Hyge Nuyt,
the Temple of the Stars.”
“And this should impress me, how exactly?”
Tolian inquired.
Brythia answered, “Hyge Nuyt is three
days journey from Hyge Bryth.”
By then the rest of the expedition
had come up.
“Three days journey?” Delorick
doubted.
“It’s true,” chimed in both Kilfrie
and Myrthis.
“You’re telling me,” Tolian asked,
“That we travelled a distance that normally takes three days to cross in a
day?”
“I swear it,” Kalabred said.
“This is extremely good,” Tolian
acknowledged.
Findelbres dismounted, his fay
smugness evident, “I told you the horses would help. `Tis true.”
Even Delorick nodded appreciatively.
“So this is another one of your
temples, huh?” Tolian said, casting her
gaze about in the encroaching darkness.
There was no temple discernible anywhere, simply more mountain trail
surrounded by trees and brush.
“It’s not quite as nice as the other
one,” Delorick commented.
Kalabred and the druidesses smiled.
“You’ll see,” Kilfrie whispered
mysteriously.
Kalabred led his horse off the trail
directly into a dense mass of brush.
They disappeared into the foliage. Brythia followed with her horse. Myrthis did the same.
“Come on,” said Kilfrie, smiling
mischievously, “Don’t be sissies.” Then
she, too, vanished into the shadowy leaves.
“Well I’m no `sissy’.” announced
Findelbres theatrically.
Delorick pushed his way ahead of
Tolian, saying “I guess that makes you the sis... oh, sorry.”
His face, half hid in the deepening
shadows, showed a truly sorrowful expression.
He
clearly felt Tolian’s loss. “I am so sorry, my old friend,” the
Lormian warrior said .
“Thanks,” she said. “Let’s go.”
The brush had concealed a corridor
hewn out of the mountain rock. It was
fairly long, a couple of hundred feet or so, sloping up with some
sharpness. It was not as dark as it should
have been, as Tolian could find no source of light. Nonetheless, a dim light seemed to radiate
from the rock of the walls, such as to clearly show the way down the passage.
“Welcome to Hyge Nuyt,” greeted
Brythia as the two Lormians emerged from the passage.
Tolian looked about Hyge Nuyt. There was little to it. There were a few small chambers cut into the
mountain’s side, several stone benches here and there, and a few steps leading
up to into the open air. She led her
horse to where the others had tethered their own steeds, carefully examining
her surroundings to see if she had failed to notice some remarkable feature of
the temple. She didn’t see any. Even in the dark it was evident that there
just wasn’t much to the place. That and
it was deserted.
Brythia bounded up the stone steps,
beckoning Tolian and Delorick to join her, because apparently everyone else had
already ascended. Tolian gestured for
Delorick to precede her, and she followed her friend up the stone
stairway. The night had finished its
conquest of the day, only the light of the stars illuminated the scene. When they reached the top of the steps,
Tolian gaped at the simplistic beauty of Hyge Nuyt. The stairs led up to a large stone circle cut
out of the top of the mountain. It must
have measured at least a hundred yards in circumference, and contained no other
feature save for its stone floor, leveled and polished to the smoothness of
marble, and a large pit in its center.
Scorch marks scarred the edges of the marble around the pit.
It was not, however, so much the
circle that inspired Tolian’s amazement.
It was the stars. Never, in her
life, had she seen such a view of the celestial lights. She realized that somehow the druids had
designed the temple of Hyge Nuyt to enhance the view of the heavens. Once one had ascended to the circle nothing
save the magnificence of the sky could be viewed from horizon to horizon. No mountain tops were visible, which
suggested to her that they were on the highest mountain of the region. The elevation also afforded some freedom from
the normal dimming due to clouds, giving the stars a chance to shine in their
truest light.
Tolian looked at her companions. The druids were breathing the scene in with a
familiar delight. Delorick and even
Findelbres just stood there and gaped in awe.
“It’s spectacular!” raved Delorick.
“Impressive,” Findelbres added, more
reserved.
“Tolian?” asked Brythia, “What do you
think?”
It was true. She didn’t know how, but it was there. She could sense the mystical energy of the
place clearly, as almost a physical sensation.
It poured into her, making her light-headed.
“It’s no surprise,” Brythia
explained. “Druids have been performing
rituals and ceremonies here for over eight hundred years.”
“Where’s everybody tonight?” asked
Delorick.
“They are at Hyge Bryth. Nearly
everybody came back to welcome the Champion, save those scouting near the
Entrine Desert. That and generally only
two major rituals are performed here annually anymore. Primarily, this temple is used as a retreat,
for independent meditation and such.”
“Is it safe to leave such a structure
unguarded?” asked Findelbres.
Brythia answered, “There are few
travelers in these mountains. This area
is part of the Kingdom of Sirtez, whose kings have declared it their personal
reserve, forbidding any to enter. In
return for this, the Druidic Order secretly assists them from time to time.”
“Surely poachers would disregard such
a restriction?” Delorick pointed out.
“That’s why the early druids spread
the rumor that these mountains are haunted.
If any hunters enter our territory, we usually, reinforce that rumor,
with various illusionary techniques.
It’s quite rare for anyone to enter our forests without getting caught.”
“I did it,” said Delorick.
“Most don’t have reason enough to
try,” added Kalabred.
“Let’s get the fire going and eat
something, shall we?”
Kalabred, Delorick, and Tolian descended to one of the stone chambers in the
mountain and fetched some firewood stored there. Tolian easily scooped up a large and
generally unwieldy pile of logs, and leapt lightly up the steps with her load. Kalabred and Delorick clearly didn’t want to
be shown up, so they gathered up loads far in excess of what they could manage,
which were still a mere fraction of what Tolian carried. Tolian laughed as they finally appeared to
crest the steps, dropping logs left and right in their struggles.
“Need some help?” she asked, with
some measure of delight and pride in her voice.
She was definitely enjoying her new magickal strength, despite what she
thought of the other changes the druids had wrought in her.
“No,” grunted Delorick. “We’re fine.”
“As you say,” Tolian said speeding
back down the steps, passing the two men, and returning with another massive
load of wood before either of them had traversed a quarter of the distance to
the fire pit.
While Tolian and the others took care of the fire
pit, Brythia and Kilfrie were fetching some lightweight mattresses from another
one of the stone chambers, as well as everyone’s sleeping bags, and were
arranging them upon the stone circle.
Myrthis and Findelbres were engaged in getting provisions and cooking
gear assembled in the vicinity of the fire pit.
The cool October air invigorated Tolian. It felt so clean and refreshing. A spirit of adventure and fun had found its
way into their hearts, regardless of what was to come. Tolian could still feel the magick of the
place pouring into her, energizing her.
She felt alive. Waves of positive
force moved through her. Although she
didn’t much care for her feminine body, she could not help but feel glad to be
alive and under those stars. In must
have been infectious. Even the normally
stoic Kalabred was laughing at some joke of Delorick’s. Tolian took a moment and watched the dynamics
of the group. She had chosen her
companions well. They were moving as a team, setting up camp, lighting the
fire, cooking. Laughter and mirth
emanated from everyone. Findelbres was
embarrassing Myrthis with lewd limericks as Kalabred triumphantly got the fire
going.
Myrthis had discovered some dried
venison steaks in the temple’s larder and made a delicious, though spicy, stew,
which they washed down with some of the best wine Tolian had ever tasted. Kalabred explained that it was normally
reserved for druidic religious ceremonies, but as far he was concerned, the
Champion’s visit to Hyge Nuyt could be considered as spiritually significant. Tolian was finally beginning to understand
that these druids felt that everything was full of religious purpose and
meaning. Their philosophy colored their
entire lives.
When everyone had finished with their
meal, Kilfrie refilled everybody’s wine glass.
Kalabred went down to the storerooms of the temple and
returned in a few moments carrying something in his hands. Tolian strained to see what it was. To her surprise, her night vision was vastly better
than it had been; she could easily discern the contents of the druid’s
hands. He carried a wooden pipe of some
sort, carved with intricate designs, and a pouch.
Tolian saw Brythia’s eyes light up as
she determined what it was that Kalabred had fetched from the sacred stores of
the temple.
“You’re not going to get us in any
trouble with Magara are you?” the druidess asked him.
“I should think not,” Kalabred
replied. “You forget that I am second on
the High Council now, and that Magara herself must bow to Tolian’s will. You don’t want to cheat the Champion out of
the true Hyge Nuyt experience, do you?”
Brythia laughed, “No, of course not.”
“You’re in for a treat, now,” Kilfrie
said to the non-druids of the group.
“Except Myrthis should probably pass, due to her condition.”
“I was going to,” Myrthis said.
Tolian watched as Kalabred carefully
filled the pipe’s bowl with a ground weed of some kind. From the way everybody was talking, she was
fairly certain that it wasn’t tobacco. When
the druid had finished filling the bowl to his satisfaction, he reached over
and fished a flaming stick out of the fire pit and used it
to ignite the contents of the pipe. A
strong, sweet smell immediately reached Tolian’s nostrils. They were seated in a circle around the fire;
Kalabred passed the pipe to Delorick who sat on his left. The Lormian took the pipe and held it for a
second.
“Go ahead, there, Delorick”, the
druid said. “You breathe it in and hold
it in your lungs for as long as you can.”
Delorick shrugged and did as he was
bid, and passed the pipe to Findelbres.
The faerie took the bowl and expertly inhaled the smoke.
“No mortal need instruct the Fay in
the ways of smoking, thank you.” He
said.
Brythia drew long and hard and then
offered the weed to Tolian. She gingerly
took the pipe, aware that everybody was watching her, and held it up to her
mouth. She breathed in the sweet smoke
till her lungs were full and passed the pipe along. Her lungs began to tickle with the smoke and
she coughed loudly, releasing the fumes into the cool air. Before she knew it the pipe had made its way
back around the circle and Brythia was again handing it to her. She took another puff. Now she could start to feel the effects. Her brain tingled, waves of a mostly pleasant
nature passed over her. Her head felt
lighter. Her thought process
accelerated. All sorts of ideas
flickered past her consciousness. The
pipe returned again to her. Before they
had finally smoked it, she had lost any knowledge of how many times she
smoked. Her short term memory seemed
somehow abridged and faulty.
“Now the best part,” Brythia
announced. “Now, you’ll really get to
experience Hyge Nuyt.”
The druids stood up, beckoning their
companions to do the same.
“Since everybody else seems to be
indisposed,” Myrthis said. “I guess I’ll
do the dishes. But I warn you, somebody
else is doing the breakfast dishes.”
“Findelbres will do those,” Delorick
suggested, laughing.
“As you wish,” the faerie said. “You know, you druids have some good
pipeweed, indeed.”
“Thank you, friend Findelbres,” Kalabred
said, bowing graciously. “Now, if you’ll
all come and lay down for a little while, you will get to see exactly why this
is called the temple of the stars.”
They (except Myrthis) walked over to
where the mattresses and sleeping bags were set up. Tolian had wondered why they had placed the
bedding so far from the fire, now she realized why. With the bedding in its present location
their view of the stars was unhindered by the brightness of the fire’s light. A general feeling of well-being mixed with intense
lethargy came over Tolian as she lay down on her mattress (which was, of
course, positioned right next to Brythia’s).
The night sky positively glowed under
the heavenly lights. They pulsed and
twinkled, glowed and sparkled. The
blackness of the sky was an infinite ocean in which the stars swam and
danced. Tolian lost herself in the
dazzling display. A shooting star ran
across the sky from horizon to horizon.
The constellations almost esembled
their legendary namesakes, for once.
Tolian craned her neck back, and sure enough, low in the sky the last of
the comets still glowed ominously, though its tail had lost some of its
brilliance.
A coldness came over Tolian. Not a normal sort of coldness that she might
reasonably have expected on an October evening, but a deep coldness inspired by
the closeness to the stars. It was a
coldness that made Tolian feel small, alone.
She had become oblivious to her surroundings and even of her female
body, for once. It was as if she were
drifting in that infinite ocean of lights.
A dark and starry sea beyond everything.
Then peace and a powerful calm entered her. She felt light. She almost felt as if she could slip away
into the night sky, and drift forever in its eternal embrace. She could.
She felt herself rise up from the
sleeping bag. She did not look down.
Before she knew it she was flying through the void between the stars. Perfect freedom. Nothing mattered to her anymore. She moved through the infinite without a
care.
“Tolian,” a voice called to her.
A voice: a voice of wonder, of
enchantment.
Tolian stopped her flight, held
herself still in the deep blackness, and looked about. The darkness of space was suddenly peeled
away. The prince found herself standing
in a garden, with the stars returning to the sky above. There was something unearthly about the
garden. Then, of course, she remembered
that she shouldn’t be in a garden at all; she should be lying on the stone
circle of Hyge Nuyt. She had to be
dreaming, she assured herself.
“I see you do not wear the armor I
gave you,” the otherworldly voice said.
It was a woman’s voice.
Tolian turned and looked about.
The woman was walking towards her
with a welcoming smile. Immediately
Tolian understood why the woman’s voice seemed odd. She was a faerie. To say that she was beautiful would have been
an understatement. Her hair was a soft
white, yet no signs of age showed on her.
Her gown was woven of exquisite, impossible fabrics which shifted their shades
and hues as she approached. She also had
that same nebulous quality that Findelbres possessed, which was apparently a
characteristic of the Good Folk. But
this woman seemed to radiate a vast amount of power.
“Welcome, Tolian, to the Palace of
the Sidhe,” she said. “I am Ymrisiva,
the Queen of this realm.”
Tolian was speechless. The unreality of her position confronted
her. Still, her courtly manners could
not be curtailed for long, even by her confusion. She realized that politeness required an
answer from her, even in a dream.
“I thank you, I suppose,” Tolian
finally said. “I am dreaming, right?”
she appended.
“Dreaming? No.”
“Perhaps you could tell me how I come
to be here, then?”
“You are not here,” the Queen of
Faerie replied, “You are laying atop of the druidic temple of Hyge Nuyt. You have travelled here astrally. I have summoned you.”
“I see,” Tolian said. Though, she had to admit to herself that
anything was possible (especially after indulging in druidic ritual drugs).
“I hope I have not troubled you in
doing so?”
“I suppose not. What can I do for you?”
The Queen smiled kindly, “Well, to
tell the truth, I mainly wanted to meet you in person, in order to pay my
respects and to swear my allegiance to you, my Queen.”
This was too weird for Tolian,
“W-w-w-w-what are you, talking about?
I’m not your queen, or anybody else’s for that matter.”
“Please walk with me,” the faerie
lady asked, “I will try to explain things to you.”
She extended her hand. Tolian took it and allowed herself to be led
about the garden. A hundred luminious butterflies
flew out of a bush, circled them and dashed away.
“You really should wear the armor I
gave you. It’s far better protection than
what you’re currently wearing. Besides,
it’s much more flattering to your figure.”
Tolian turned red. “It’s nice, I’m
sure. But it’s kind
of...well...revealing, isn’t it?”
“You are ashamed of your new body,
then?” the Queen asked.
“Damn right, I’m ashamed. I’m supposed to be a man, you know,” Tolian
said, her voice rising a little in anger.
“You will have to learn to put those
feelings behind you,” the Queen admonished her.
“You will never be male again.
You realize that much, don’t you?
You’re going to be a woman forever.”
Tolian hadn’t even thought about
that. It just occurred to her that she
must have been in a state of shock since the transformation. There were a lot of things she hadn’t thought
about.
“Forever?” the prince gulped.
“Of course,” the mysterious queen
stated, “You have no idea what they’ve done to you, do you?”
“They turned me into a woman, obviously,”
Tolian said, her voice full of embarrassment.
“No, they didn’t,” the Queen said
matter-of-factly.
Tolian looked down at herself, “Yeah,
I’m pretty sure they did.”
“You are wrong. The druidic magick brought the divine lunar
force into your being, which did transform you, that’s true.”
“What’s the difference?” Tolian
asked.
“The difference, is that you are the
Goddess of the Moon brought into human flesh.
You are a Goddess.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Tolian
exclaimed.
“How do you explain your vast strength,
your speed, the very fact that you stand here now?”
“I don’t know,” Tolian said
nervously, “But you brought me here, right?”
“No, I merely called to my Lady, the
Queen of the Moon, and you came on your own.
I had no part in your traveling here, save to ask you to come.”
“That’s impossible!” exclaimed
Tolian.
The Faerie Queen brought them to a
bench, which sat next to a stone garden wall.
A small waterfall trickled down the wall’s side forming a small stream
that wound throughout the bizarre, unearthly garden. She bade Tolian sit next to her on the bench.
“I do feel so sorry for you,” the
Queen said, in her distant voice. “It
must be quite an adjustment for you.”
“I am the same person I have always
been,” Tolian declared. “I have no
intention of adjusting myself to fit this body.
I’m going to do my best against this Demon, and that’s it. I’m done.
If I can’t be my true self, a man, I don’t really care to live.”
The Queen shook her head sadly.
“Please give yourself a chance. What do you have to lose?”
Tolian just stared down at the
ground, feeling sorry for herself. She
didn’t know what else to do.
“In any case, think about it
please? I don’t want to keep you
overlong from your rest. I merely
wanted, as I said, to pay my homage to you, O Holy Lunar Goddess.”
“Please don’t call me that,” Tolian
said meekly.
“`Tis true,” the Faerie Queen
insisted. “You are the Goddess of the
Moon. The Moon governs the astral. Therefore, you are my Empress, as it
were. If there is anything that I can do
for you, come to me in your dreams, for the country of dreams lies on the
border to Faerie.”
With that the Queen arose from the bench
and bowed low before Tolian, embarrassing her to no end. She was used to such formalities as a prince,
but this was rather too much.
“Please be careful,” the Queen said
without rising from her humble position.
“The Demon is mighty. Remember,
the Druidic Prophecy offers no assurance that you will be victorious, only that
there is hope. But, in life, that is
really one needs. Fare you well, Tolian
Moongoddess.”
In an instant, Tolian’s eyes opened
and she was on her back, looking up at the moon, which was just three days
passed full and glowing with its supernatural light. She was back again at Hyge Nuyt. She sat up and glanced about her. Everyone else had pulled their bedding over
closer towards the fire, as the night’s chill on the mountain was quite
noticeable. They appeared to be
asleep. The moon was high in the sky,
indicating that it was quite late.
Tolian got up, pulled her mattress and sleeping bag next to Brythia,
kissed the druidess gently on the forehead, (without disturbing her slumber)
and climbed into her bedding.
It took her a little while to get to sleep. She was troubled by her encounter. Whether she had simply fallen asleep or had
traveled astrally to the Realm of Faerie she did not know. In either case she was made uneasy by the
Queen’s words. She found that she simply
could not dismiss them from her thoughts, yet eventually she slept.
She awoke to the smell of food
cooking. Oatmeal, she thought. It smelled delicious. She allowed consciousness to pour into her
sleepy brain, and stirred. She rubbed
the sleep out of her eyes to see Findelbres crouched by the fire, cooking over
a large pot with a spoon. Everyone else
was gone, their mattresses removed and sleeping bags piled up by the steps. “Good
morning,” Findelbres greeted her.
“Breakfast will be ready in a little while. Everybody else is down taking a bath. I believe they said to go down the stairs to
the left and the last door leads to the bathing chambers. Boys to the right, girls to the left. Take your pick.”
Her head was a little foggy,
doubtlessly due to the after effects of the weed she had smoked in the
evening. It was a cloudy day, which, due
to the altitude, meant the clouds and mists moved around them, keeping the
scene in drab grey. She got out of her
sleeping bag and stretched herself. She
could not get used to the way her body felt.
Her bra was uncomfortable, the straps were digging into her shoulders and back. Her hair was a complete mess that
kept getting in her eyes. The idea of a
bath sounded nice, she had to admit. But
first there was something she had to clear up.
“Findelbres?” she began.
“Tolian?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“That is why I am here, Transformed
One,” came the elf’s reply.
“Your Queen, what is she like?”
The faerie cocked an eye, clearly
showing his curiosity at the prince’s question.
“She is glorious, yet unfathomable.
Her hair is a glowing white, as the fresh snow. Her eyes shine with the twinkling
starlight. Her gowns sparkle with
mysterious magicks. She rarely comes to
the court, preferring to spend most of her time in her royal gardens. May I ask why you inquire about her?”
“Just curious, I suppose,” said Tolian. “I’m going to take a quick bath.”
“Have fun,” Findelbres said, good-naturedly, though
Tolian could tell that the faerie had his own opinions regarding the reason for
Tolian’s question, probably not that far from the truth.
She descended the steps and headed
for the bathing chamber. She paused a
moment to determine which way she felt more comfortable. She would have preferred to bathe with the
men, but not with her present form. She entered
the women’s bath with trepidation. A
large pool was cut into the floor and was filled with water. Steam was rising off the water, though Tolian
could determine no mechanism to generate such heat on a cool autumn
morning. The druidesses were naked and
in various stages of washing themselves or drying off. Tolian felt her cheeks blushing as she
entered. They all, of course, looked at
Tolian as she came in, making her even more self conscience.
“Do you mind if I come in?” she
asked.
“Don’t be silly,” Kilfrie said. “We’re not going to make you bathe with Kalabred and
Delorick. Come on in.”
Tolian removed her clothes. Kilfrie and Myrthis had the decency not to
look at her while she did so, but Brythia watched the whole procedure with
interest.
As soon as she got her clothes off she hastened into the warm
water. It felt good. She made a point to bathe with her back
towards the others so they wouldn’t watch her, though Myrthis made a few smart comments that
Tolian choose to ignore.
She washed quickly and dried herself even faster, her embarrassment
worsening by the moment. She pulled her
garments back on, and Brythia helped her brush her hair, with Kilfrie and
Myrthis suggesting various styles that she could try.
“I hate this,” was Tolian said.
After bathing everyone assembled
around the fire for breakfast, which consisted of oatmeal and fresh baked
muffins. Findelbres had outdone
himself. Even the water from the spring
tasted delicious.
“So what did you think of the Star
Ritual, last night?” asked Kalabred, who was attempting to break the morning
silence in a friendly fashion.
Delorick answered first, “It was
truly the most memorable experience of my life.
Well, one of them anyway. I can
recall a certain troll attack and princely transformation that rank pretty high
up there as far as memorable experiences go.
But, those stars...I can’t thank you enough.”
Tolian had known Delorick his life.
When the Lormian warrior said something like that he meant it. Tolian was pleased that Delorick enjoyed it.
It was unlike him, really.
Everyone changes, she mused in her thoughts.
“What of you, Tolian? How did you like our little ceremony?”
Kilfrie asked.
“It was different, peaceful ,” She
said. “What was that weed we smoked?”
She felt it was best not to mention
her encounter with Ymrisiva, at that time.
“A hemplike weed, which we sometimes
use for ritual purposes. It seems to
open up the perceptions to whole new realities, if used correctly,” Brythia
answered.
The sounds of wild geese broke the
across the mountainous horizon, with a sudden urgency.
Kalabred stood up, and the druidesses
cocked their ears and listened carefully to the honking of the birds. Delorick appeared confused by these events,
but Tolian knew that they were receiving a message from some distant druidic
source. She waited patiently for the
druids to translate.
As the birds flew right overhead, it
happened. One moment they were making
such noises as geese make, the next they were falling out of the sky. The whole flock fell dead around them. They had to cover their heads as the birds
dropped upon them and the stone circle.
Confusion and despair welled up in Tolian. She could not imagine what could have caused
such a phenomenon, but it clearly wasn’t good.
“What’s happening?” asked Delorick.
“This is not good,” Kalabred
announced.
“I had that part figured out,” said
Tolian. “What happened?”
Brythia answered, “It started as a
normal druidic message from one of our scouts in the Entrine Desert. He claimed to have finally spotted the
Demon’s army a few hours march from Coertol City.”
Her voice showed clear signs of fear.
“He also said that as well as troops,
the Demon possessed a large contingent of dragons. It was our scout’s opinion that Coertol City
is doomed,” Kalabred said.
“My guess,” said Kalabred, “is that
our scout was caught. The Demon saw no
harm in the message, obviously he knew there was nothing anyone could do about
it, but he also wanted to send his own message to us. Death.”
“What does this mean?” asked
Delorick.
“It means,” answered Brythia,
“possibly, that the Demon not only knows where we are, but also what we intend
to do. Could be he knows
everything. Let us hope not.”
Kalabred agreed, “We’re going to have
to assume that he does. We should leave
Hyge Nuyt as quickly as possible.”
Copyright 2002, 2015 Diana Hignutt
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