| |
The cart rolled through the night, creaking along the path.
Lazarus saw his breath in the air. Cindy moved closer to him and he wanted again to place his arm around her, but again he didn't. The driver of the cart was slowing the horses until they stopped moving.
A few Elves took off at a fast trot, and Lazarus sensed something was happening. He stood and looked forward, though the darkness was too complete for him to see.
He noticed Royce had disappeared. The sound of a howling wolf echoed around the forest.
"Is that Royce?" asked Cindy, the blond hair over her shoulders swaying in the wind and covering her back.
Grace stared around. "Royce is not going to listen to you, Lazarus. We should get rid of him."
Lazarus was getting mad. "Merlin wanted us to trust him. I will talk to Merlin about this when we find him, but for now he is staying with us."
Grace and Cindy sat back in their seats. Grace was pouting.
Professor Jacobs said, "If I may, I don't know what transpired between you and Royce. But if Merlin wants him with you, then there must be a good reason. Royce seems like a lost soul. He appears tough, but there is more to him than his ferocity. He seems lonely."
"Professor, I don't want to talk about it right now," said Grace.
Lazarus didn't know much about Royce and thought he should try to talk to him. But how could he not think about what Royce had done. Royce was controlled by a creature with unfathomable powers. Lazarus was thinking about how he was controlled when he was a teenager, and how he felt afterward, dirty and sick.
Lazarus understood Royce. He was seduced, and under control of the Vvong Queen. She was the great manipulator. She corrupted Justina, and maybe somebody back at the Hive. Royce couldn't stop himself. This Vvong Queen was a powerful Mage. Lazarus was not sure how they could ever defeat this evil.
The elven scouts came back, silently running in the darkness.
They stopped and spoke with Broethon and Groton. Lazarus couldn't hear anything, but he saw Broethon and Groton looking very concerned and shocked.
Broethon moved his horse over to the cart. "Alphas, the city before us was attacked. Everybody is dead. It was the orcs."
Lazarus said, "What should we do?"
"You are too valuable to take you there, and our numbers are too few. We need to go somewhere else," Broethon said.
Grace asked, "Where can we go?"
Broethon looked around. He seemed tense and alert. "Scouts, surround the Alphas," he demanded.
The Elves complied. It was very quiet. Lazarus was trying to scan the dark forest.
Della said, "The orcs are here. We’re surrounded."
She stood, and a glowing sword erupted from both of her hands.
The Elves took out their swords.
Lazarus felt his heart pounding. He focused his magic.
Out in front, a light appeared. A dark figure held a magical fireball in his hands. The face of the magic user appeared in the light. The orc had a black hood over his head and his face was gray-green and leathery. A black braid of hair was slung over his right shoulder.
The orc smiled, then said, “We don't want to fight you, Alpha Mages. We want you to come with us."
Cindy placed her hand on Lazarus’ shoulder. He stood looking at the orc. "Who are you, and why do you want us to go with you?"
The orc wizard didn't say anything for a few seconds, as orc warriors came out of the darkness and surrounded their little group.
The orc wizard said, "My name is Bruen. We are here to escort you to my village. We were given instructions to take you to Merlin."
Cindy said, "It’s a trick. I don't like this."
Lazarus was mulling it over, unsure what to do.
Lazarus said, "Who told you to escort us to Merlin?"
"Our goddess, she who is from the Stars, told us in a vision that you will help us find the great wizard, Merlin," Bruen said.
Lazarus was confused. The elven group was tense. He could sense their emotion. He figured the Elves numbered ten soldiers, but the orcs had double, maybe triple that amount in their group.
"What if we refused?" Lazarus asked.
"We will slaughter all your elven friends." Bruen paused. "You don't want that."
Lazarus smirked. He would not let that happen. Power started to surge, not from him, but from Cindy. He looked down at her. She was about to cast a powerful spell. A howl pierced the night.
Bruen yelled. "What the—?"
A large creature barreled through the orcs, scattering them like leaves caught in a wind.
Bruen shot a flame spell at the creature, but it shrugged off the fire and struck the orc Mage.
The creature stared at him and then howled, the sound a harrowing scream.
Lazarus realized it was Royce. The Grog looked stronger. Blood stained his mouth and claws.
Royce growled, "Run! Now!"
Suddenly the cart barreled forward. The Elves followed. The driver of the cart said, "Master Lazarus, please sit."
The elf looked younger than the others. Lazarus nodded. He almost fell from the sudden lurching of the cart as it flew down the path. He heard the howling behind them.
Cindy said, "Should we help Royce?"
"No, he can handle himself. And if he dies, you guys don't have to worry," he said.
The cart moved swiftly down the path. Groton surged his horse to the front.
"Soldier, you can slow your horses. The orcs haven't pursued us," Groton said.
