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“Begone!” Alucard bellowed. He snapped his fingers and a gust of wind slammed into Naaman’s chest, sending him back outside. Alucard turned to his guests and shouted, “DO NOT LEAVE THIS CABIN!” He shut the door behind him, and Felix whimpered as he skulked into a corner.
“Momo and Willa are still out there,” Tristan said, staring down at the ashes of the Key of Solomon.
“What are you saying?” Cameron shouted, rising from his seat. “You want to disobey the sorcerer’s orders?”
“Naaman will be distracted,” Desmond said, nodding. “Yes, this may be our opportunity.”
“Might I remind you that Balin is still out there as well.”
“You can be a coward if you want,” Amy said. “All these people on the planet...I’m just saying that someone has to champion the title.”
“I’m getting sick of your mouth,” Cameron snapped.
“Talking to a mirror, are we?”
“Listen,” Tristan said. “When we headed out here, I had no idea that we’d end up in this mess, but here we are. We asked for adventure, and we got more than we bargained for. So what? This is what we need. This is what this whole expedition is about.”
“Finding enemies?” Cameron asked.
“Finding purpose,” Tristan said, pointing at the door. “The reason the three communities are at war with each other is because we’ve lost purpose. We have no reason to live besides pleasing ourselves. We’ve forgotten how big the world is, and that if we’re unhappy, there is a chance to change it. Once we’ve acquired some allies and exotic supplies or artifacts as proof, then we will quell the rising tide. We’ll begin to look outward rather than in.”
“We have to survive first, Tristan,” Desmond sighed. “I’m not saying I don’t agree, but we are woefully outmatched.”
“We’ll see about that,” Tristan said.
* * *
ALUCARD FIRED OFF ANOTHER gust of wind from his hand, but Naaman ducked and bobbed to the side. Alucard prepared another attack when he was suddenly knocked off his feet. Flying into the air, he found himself looking up at the forest canopy and the sky, wondering what had happened. He fell onto his back and the wind was knocked out of him, though it was nothing compared to the burning ache in his stomach. Though he hadn’t felt this type of pain in a long time, he recognized the source—Naaman had punched him in the abdomen.
“What speed,” Alucard muttered. The words elicited a coughing fit, and he found himself fighting more to overcome the cough than the rise back to his feet. Naaman appeared in front of him like a ghost, wagging an index finger in front of the sorcerer’s face.
“I had to end it quickly,” Naaman said. “Out of respect. I am not one to engage in sport, and besides, I could tell that you were saving for the finale.”
“I’m not down yet,” Alucard groaned. He clutched his stomach and tried to rise, but his aching bones wouldn’t allow it. He was more injured than he thought.
“You are in a compromising position. One that I will exploit if I catch an inkling of a threat.”
“What do you want?” Alucard said. Perhaps if he could keep Naaman talking, he’d be able to gather his strength.
“The exiles, nothing more,” Naaman replied, pacing around the sorcerer.
“There is always more for people like you.”
“This is true,” Naaman nodded. “Unless there is unfathomable potential to untap within them, they will not satisfy me.”
“I have heard of you,” Alucard huffed. “You will bring about a calamity. You are a blight on this world’s future.”
“I suppose it depends on how you look at it, though my intentions aren’t as heinous as you’d like to make it out to be. I am simply righting some wrongs.”
“They are individuals. They should have a say in their journey.”
“Now, that is funny. Where is this idea of autonomy and freedom coming from? Even if we are slaves to no identifiable being, we are still beholden to our society and the governments that rule it. There is always class and hierarchy. The have’s and the have not’s. This is the way of the world. I simply want to climb the ladder.”
“That can’t be true everywhere.”
“I will find out if there are outliers in my travels, but for now, I desire the exiles. Listen, I do not want to take your life. You seem like a noble and honorable creature, but I cannot allow anyone that may threaten my ambitions to live.”
“An old man like me? Threaten you?” Alucard laughed.
“It is not your spells that I fear, it is your capacity to travel. I surmise that you have a teleportation spell or two within that mind of yours. Even without much strength, you could chase after me and catch me unawares. Unless you are willing to teach me.”
“Only the sinner has a paranoid mind...and I will do no such thing.”
“Hmm, a pity” Naaman said, ceasing his march. “It is true what you said about sinners. I have much to atone for. My friend, if there is a god in the afterlife, would you give him a word on my behalf? Tell him I’m coming.”
Naaman roared so loud that the forest’s animals came alive and scattered. Then he plunged his hand through Alucard’s chest, so quickly, that Alucard’s trump card was still in his hand—a small flame that now flickered out of existence.
Silence followed the assault.
Naaman breathed heavily, his nostrils still flaring like a bull’s. He was surprised to hear the cabin’s front door creak open.
Out stepped Desmond, his face flushed with fear.
“Have you come to pay tribute?” Naaman asked, a smile forming upon his face.
“I’ve come to give you a warning,” Desmond said in a low voice.
“SPEAK UP!” Naaman roared.
Desmond shook and trembled. He patted himself on the cheek to regain his composure. “I said...I said that I’ve come to give you a warning.” He could not look at Naaman directly.
“Just you?” Naaman chuckled. “No, no, no...where are your friends hiding? Do you aim to ambush me?”
“N-no,” Desmond said, placing a hand over his stuttering heart. “They aim to complete our circle.”
Naaman frowned at the middle-aged scholar, attempting to see past his cryptic riddle. A second later, the message rang loud and clear. Naaman spun around and headed off into the woods, leaving Desmond behind to fall onto the ground, overwhelmed by terror.
* * *
“THIS IS DISGUSTING!” Amy called down with a mouthful of webbing.
“Keep going!” Tristan shouted to the treetops. “We won’t have much time!” Desmond had figured that Willa and Momo would be close as Naaman would need to use them as bait if they were uncooperative. Finding them was easy. What they did not expect was the thick spider’s webbing used to wrap them in cocoons. Without a sharp weapon of any kind, they needed to think of an alternative quick. Amy, being Amy, decided to get a head start by using her teeth.
“Anything?” Tristan called out. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, but when he looked to his left, nothing out of the ordinary stood out. That didn’t mean he shouldn’t be worried.
“Nothing,” Lorelai shouted back, rummaging through the leaves. “Not even a sharp stick.”
“Okay,” Tristan said. “Time to improvise...Amy! Keep chewing but try to hide your body in the leaves a bit!”
“Okay!”
“Are you chewing through Momo’s cocoon first? She should have the sword!”
“How am I supposed to know?”
“Can’t Cameron help us?” Lorelai whined.
“No,” Tristan said. “He has the most important job of all.”
“I still don’t agree with your decision.”
“Noted,” Tristan sighed, still looking out for signs of Naaman.
“Why does he get to head back home?”
“Because he wouldn’t agree to help unless it was in his best interests. He’s running and making lots of noise. It may draw Naaman towards him which only helps us. If it doesn’t draw him, well, then Cameron gets to make it out alive.”
“The Ancients will protect us,” Lorelai said.
“I sure hope so,” Tristan said under his breath.
“Got it!” Amy shouted. One of the cocoons fell onto the ground and rolled a bit. Amy climbed down and dropped behind it, using it as a shield as she continued chewing at the strands.
“MVP,” Tristan sighed. He had only been distracted for a couple seconds, but it was long enough for Naaman to get close. Before he could fully face forward, Tristan found himself lifted off the ground. Naaman’s bony fingers closed tightly around his neck.
“You’re sneaky,” Naaman’s hot, corpse-smelling breath hit Tristan in the face. “Like rodents scampering for a meal.”
“Let him go!” Lorelai shouted. She tried to punch Naaman’s neck, but he merely whipped his hand out and backhanded her across the face. Lorelai fell into a pile of leaves with a whimper.
“I will not kill you,” Naaman said. “But I will require you to go unconscious. It makes transport easier.”
“I’d watch my back,” Tristan gasped. “Felix.”
Naaman craned his neck to look behind him and Tristan poked him in the eye as hard as he could. Naaman howled and let Tristan fall to the ground.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Naaman roared. He extended his hand towards Tristan and a circle of symbols and black vines began spiraling around his wrist, like a rotating bracelet. Tristan coughed profusely and scurried to his feet just as Amy threw a ball of webbing into Naaman’s face. Naaman growled and reached up to tear at it.
His vision cleared.
Yet Tristan was no longer before him.
A Great One now stood in his path.
Momo bellowed out in a war cry, dragging her sword behind her. With one swift movement, as quick as lightning, she raised her blade, and slashed through Naaman from his right leg to the crown of his head.
Naaman stretched his hands out wide as he began to fall backwards. Momo quickly freed Willa from her prison, but then a strange vibrating noise forced her attention back towards her opponent.
As if being controlled by an outside force, Naaman’s body stopped falling and then it rose back to his standing position. In the next instant, his body slapped back together. His wounds healed, and his eyes were alert. He clapped his hands together and smiled. It was as if Momo had done nothing at all.
“Well done,” Naaman said. “If I was any less of an opponent, I would be done for.”
Naaman glanced behind him. Tristan, Lorelai and Amy had found branches, and they were holding them like crowbars, ready to swing at him with all their might. Though they were sure that their attempts would cause no damage, Naaman could see the determination in their eyes. He turned back to Momo and bowed curtly. “You have earned my respect. I will take my leave.”
Momo did not relax her stance. She tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword, ready to strike again.
“I have misjudged you,” Naaman said, raising his hands up in surrender. “At this time, I am now more curious as to what you can accomplish should I allow you to grow on the outside. Mark my words. Do not become complacent. I will return one day, and at the most inopportune time.”
Naaman leapt into the air and landed on one of the highest tree branches. The expedition watched in awe as he took off, dashing across the treetops like a centipede on steroids.
“Hey,” Amy said, breaking the silence. “Hey, Hey, Hey.”
The group looked over at her as a big smile broke out across her face.
“Did we just win?” she said. “Because it looks like to me that we just won.”
“Yeah,” Tristan smiled. “I think it counts.”
* * *
BALIN LEAPT OVER A fallen tree log and kept on running. Being left alone was nothing new but being exposed was alarming. He wasn’t sure whether to head back to the communities or to headquarters. Either way—
Cameron emerged from in front of the tree and slammed a large log into Balin’s face, knocking him out instantly.
Cameron spat to the side and threw the log down.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
