Save Jena
After hours of hard riding through the Frog Woods, Galin and Ellis reached the southern edge, just west of the Wailing Mountains. When Galin moved out of the woods, he smiled as the sun warmed his face. He pulled Thea’s reins back, causing her to slowly come to a halt. “Five-minute break?” Galin asked.
The sweat on Ellis’ face glistened in the light. He gulped some fresh air. “Sure, if you need to.” He climbed down off of Runt’s back.
Galin tied Thea off to a small tree. He laid his sword down next to him as he leaned against it. They rode hard through the Frog Woods and he could almost see the main road off in the distance. A cool breeze splashed over his face. Yeah, there was only one thing left between them and saving Jena; the checkpoint on the main road. Would it only have a few Darkstriders, like the bridge? Galin shifted in his seat as he looked around. There was forest behind; in fact, the trees were sprinkled in the grassland as far as the eye could see.
“What are we going to do about the checkpoint? If Brock is right, it should be just over the next rise,” Ellis said. “I don’t think we can go around it.”
Galin frowned. “I was wondering that too.” He pointed at the grassland ahead of them. “If we try to go around them, they’d see us. Could we be any more suspicious than that?”
Ellis shook his head. “Well, we could head back towards the bridge and cut east after we cross the road. It would take a little longer.”
“A little? Are you serious? It would add at least another day,” Galin said. “Jena may not have that long.”
“You don’t know that.”
Galin glared at him. “No, I don’t, but you don’t know that she does, either.” He stared at the barely visible building along the road in the distance. Did he have much choice? No, Jena was depending on him.
“Look,” Ellis said as he pointed at a caravan, just coming over the bridge, moving towards the checkpoint.
“Good idea, we hide amongst them,” Galin said.
Ellis mounted Runt. “Let’s get in line.”
As Galin climbed on Thea’s back, he heard a loud crack, like a stick being broken underfoot. “What’s that? A black zombie?” He drew his sword. “Something could be following us.”
Ellis laughed. “You’re pathetic. Now come on before we can’t join that caravan.” He cracked the reins and Runt galloped towards the caravan.
Galin looked back into the woods. Nothing. Maybe it was just his imagination. Thea raced to catch up with Runt. As they came closer to the passing caravan, Galin and Ellis slowed down and they fell in at the end. His adoptive mother once told him that to hide a flower, put it in a flower garden. How true was that? He was going to find out. The caravan must have had at least fifty people and twenty or so wagons to be inspected by the guards. Would the Darkstriders be so tired by the time they got to them that they would just let them pass? Would he? Maybe, maybe not.
“Think this will work?” Ellis whispered.
Galin tried to smile. “Of course it will.” It had better, or they would never reach Jena in time. The caravan crawled along the road, approaching the checkpoint. Galin shifted Thea off to the side of the road to get a better look. The small building, he saw from the edge of the Frog Woods, was a stone gatehouse with walls extended at least two hundred feet towards the north and the south. Off to the left of the house, along the northern wall were at least six or seven Feral Orcs on their wolf mounts. Galin swallowed. “This is probably a mistake.”
Ellis shook his head. “No, our best shot is to move along with the caravan.”
“They’re ready to chase someone,” Galin said. “Can you guess who?”
Ellis grinned. “Yeah, kind of flattering, isn’t it?”
Galin could see the fear on his face. He nodded. “I guess it is.” Galin looked towards the right, towards Nia. They could break off, but the mounted Feral Orcs would surely chase them. There was probably more of them that he couldn’t see. His stomach tumbled and twisted as the caravan entered the checkpoint.
“Here they come,” Ellis said, pointing at the Feral Orcs walking down the line.
Galin swallowed. Just act natural, he told himself, just act like I belong here. The closer the orc got, the drier his mouth became.
The lead orc passed the cart in front of them and looked up. “Where are you going?”
Going? “Umm…Drusas,” Galin said.
The orc shook its head. “What’s your business in that goblin hole?”
Galin blinked.
“Visiting family,” Ellis said. “Don’t you do that?” He smiled at the Orc. “Ever been there? They’ve got a nice bakery in the market square.”
The orc rolled its eyes as it yawned. He motioned to the orcs manning the gatehouse. “Let them through. They’re cleared.”
A wave of relief fell upon Galin as they passed through the gate. The farther he got from the checkpoint, the better he felt. Ahead, the road came to a fork.
“Which way to Nia?” Ellis asked.
“South,” Galin said, “turn right.” Galin led Ellis down the road towards Nia.
Tasar rode across the field from the Frog Woods behind the checkpoint. When a Feral Orc yelled at him, he removed his hood and the orc cowed in fear. Tasar sighed. “To hell with making it look like an accident. It’s time for a more…direct approach.” His black hair turned blond and his deep-blue skin became white. He blinked. Tasar’s eyes were no longer black, but a sea blue. His ears were no longer pointed. Tasar looked…human. “Time to end this.” He rode after Galin and Ellis.
After riding along the southern road for an hour, Galin and Ellis came across a series of long wooden fences around an enormous pasture. Cattle and sheep were munching on green grass. “We must be close,” Galin said.
“How many are out there?” Ellis asked, pointing at the livestock.
Galin looked down the road. Over a small rise off in the distance, he could see the top of a temple of Odella. It was barely in sight, but it was there. “Come on,” he said as he brought Thea to a gallop.
Ellis sighed. “Always in a hurry.” He chased after Galin.
It was a mere ten minutes for Galin and Ellis to reach Nia. It was a poor and simple farming village. All of the houses had thatched roofs and their walls were made out of logs. There were no cobblestone roads in the village, only dirt.
Ellis held his nose. “Damn, even the town smells.”
Galin frowned. “As if you don’t stink, goblin ass.” The aroma of fresh bread invaded his nostrils as they rode close to the market square. “Smell that?”
Ellis smiled as he closed his eyes. “Yeah, I do.”
“It’s almost like home,” Galin said. The market square had a well in the center with several women collecting water in buckets. Surrounding the square were merchants selling off their wagons, everything from fruits to fish to clothing to magical components. Every building in the square was one story, save one. It was a three-story building with a porch in the front with four tables and stools surrounding each of them. Above the door was a picture of a wide-eyed owl with its wings spread, as if to flee from some predator. Underneath the owl were the words ‘The Cowardly Owl’ painted in orange. A large man with brown hair with streaks of gray sat amongst several younger and more muscular men. “That’s Father!” Galin cracked the reins and headed towards his adoptive father.
Brock jumped down from the porch and ran towards Galin. As soon as Galin tied Thea to the hitching post, Brock hugged him. “I missed you,” he said.
Galin shook off his adoptive father. “Jena? Are we too late?”
“No, follow me,” Brock said as he ran inside.
Ellis grabbed the sack as he jumped down from Runt. “Wait for me!”
As soon as they entered the door, Brock veered left and went right up the stairs. “Here!” He opened the first door on the right and rushed inside, with Galin close behind.
Galin blinked as he saw Jena lying on the bed with her mother crying at her bedside. Jena’s skin was soaked. Her hair looked like she just came out of the lake and…and her skin was dry and beginning to crack. Galin saw the pain in her face every time she took a breath. He knelt down next to her. “I’m here.” Tears welled up behind his eyes. He bit his lip. “I’m…I’m so sorry.”
Keya glared at him. “Do you have it?” she demanded.
Ellis handed Keya the sack with the still moving tongue inside. “Here.”
He couldn’t hold it back anymore. Tears started rolling down Galin’s cheeks like the rushing waters of a fast-moving river. “Can you cure her? Please, by the gods, save her!” His head collapsed on her chest. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I’m…I’m so sorry, Jena!”
Keya frowned. “Ellis, stay with me, I need help performing the ritual.” She looked up at Brock. “Take him out of here. I only have one chance at this.”
Brock nodded as he grabbed Galin by the shoulders. “Come on, son.”
Galin wrested himself from Brock’s grip. “No, I want to stay. I don’t want to leave her again.”
Ellis pushed Galin towards the door. “Do you want her to live? Then get the hell out!”
“He’s right, son,” Brock said as he pulled Galin through the door into the hallway.
“I’ll come and find you when it’s over,” Ellis said as he closed the door.
Galin collapsed to the floor, sobbing. “Did you see her skin?”
Brock nodded as he knelt down next to his adoptive son. “I did.” He sighed. “Vebaco sent us two hundred volunteers and—”
Galin pushed Brock away. “I don’t want to talk about that now.”
Brock shook him. “You have to talk about it. Their captain is downstairs and you need to get it together. Your age is part of the reason we are having a hard time recruiting fighters to our cause. The same cause, mind you, that most of them are already fighting.”
“I don’t care. All I want is Jena to be safe,” Galin sobbed.
Brock slapped his left cheek. “You’d better care. Keya will heal her and if she can’t, do you want Jena to die for nothing? Because if you lose those men, word will spread that you are a coward. Do you want that?”
“I don’t care!”
“I do! I won’t let Sally’s death be in vain because of a snotty little hobgoblin who can’t control himself,” Brock said.
Galin blinked. The image of when they found her violated and tortured body in the bedroom flashed through his mind. He’d killed Shania, the Dark Elf responsible for her death…and nearly himself. He wiped his eyes. “Can Keya cure her?”
Brock nodded. “Now that she has the tongue.” He helped Galin to his feet. “This would be a good time to figure out what exactly we are doing. It may keep your mind occupied. We have a real problem to figure out and not much time to do it in. What do you say?”
Galin wiped his eyes one last time. “Okay. Let’s meet the captain.”
“He’s downstairs,” Brock said.
Galin followed Brock down into the tavern below.