Eye of the Wizard: A Fantasy Adventure (29 page)

"It's, uhm... a nice night, eh?" Scruff said, instantly regretting it.
Such a lame thing to say.
He wished he knew how to talk to girls.

"It's beautifuw," Cobweb agreed and smiled.

The other Bullies were off collecting more firewood, and Scruff suspected they all left on purpose, allowing him time alone with Cobweb. It made him feel all hot in the face. Their camp lay several miles away from Dry Bones' tower, and Scruff felt safe among the trees; nobody could find them here.

It's just me and Cobweb here, just us two, alone by the fire, under the starlight.
It made Scruff's fingers tingle. He reached toward his skin of ale, which lay on the forest floor. Cobweb reached to it at the same time, and their hands touched. Scruff looked up into her eyes, and she looked back, and before he knew it, he was kissing her again. Her lips were full, soft, and eager. He placed one hand around the small of her back, and the other in her hair, kissing her deeply, marveling at her flowery scent.

Yet as he kissed her, the thought would not leave him, the niggling doubt that had lived inside him all night.
Did Cobweb drink the love potion?

Their kiss ended, and Cobweb cuddled against him, but Scruff couldn't help but keep replaying the scene in his mind. He had burst into the tower top. Dry Bones was trying to force the love potion into her mouth. The bottle dropped and shattered, and Cobweb looked straight into Scruff's eyes.

Did she drink that potion before looking at me, or did I arrive just in time? Does she kiss me only because of magic, because the potion made her love me? Or are her feelings true?

Scruff did not know, and it burned inside him, eating him up. He wanted to ask her, but dared not, fearing the answer he might hear. He merely played with her hair, kissed her forehead, and watched her fall asleep against his shoulder. He sighed and returned his eyes to the fire, lost in thought.

* * * * *

Dry Bones walked back toward the Coven, wrapped in his cloak, mist swirling around his feet. Pines soared around him, deep gray in the dawn, and the morning's first ravens circled under the overcast sky. Dry Bones fumed as he walked, fists clenched. He passed by a squirrel and kicked it, sending the poor critter flying with a squeak. That made Dry Bones feel a little better, but not much.

The Bullies had done well. Dry Bones gave them that. They'd caught him by surprise, and they knew a few tricks. The boy Neev was a powerful warlock already, despite never completing his apprenticeship.
I should have killed him years ago,
Dry Bones thought, grinding his teeth.

He saw Batwog Mountain ahead, rising from the misty pines, a monolith of black stone. Dry Bones remembered the first time he had seen the mount. He had been only sixteen, leaving Burrfield behind, leaving his love Amabel, all for the powers of black magic. Dry Bones had apprenticed under High Warlock Kroh, an ancient warlock who had ruled the Coven for three hundred years.

Three hundred years was too long,
Dry Bones thought, remembering how he'd shoved a dagger into the ancient warlock's back. The old warlock knew everything about magic, and could defend himself against any spell, but the betrayal of an apprentice was foreign to him, and Dry Bones had made use of that. Only twenty years after joining the Coven as a fallow apprentice, Dry Bones had become the new High Warlock, ruling the subterranean caverns and tunnels where scores of warlocks gazed into the pits of Hell, weaving their black magic.

But that wasn't enough.
Being High Warlock made Dry Bones feel powerful, aloof, in control... but not happy. Never happy. What was the point of ruling the Coven, of being the greatest warlock in the world, if he had no woman to share it with? No love? No wife to warm his old bones? He thought of Cobweb, sadness trickling through those bones like icy water. All he wanted to do was love her, have her love him back. He'd never hurt her, and Dry Bones knew she'd be happy with him.

He climbed Batwog Mountain, stones cascading beneath his feet, and entered the cave that led into the Coven. Bats fluttered around him, and stalagmites and stalactites glistened. He moved into the blackness, traveling down sloping tunnels, some so narrow he needed to crawl. A mile into the mountain, deep in the darkness, he reached the network of chambers and tunnels that was the Coven.

Ignoring the warlocks and apprentices who bowed before him, Dry Bones walked through the tunnels, eye sockets set ahead, until he reached his bedroom. He closed the door behind him, a little too roughly, and sighed.

He had covered his bedroom floor with a plush rug, had bought pillows for the couch, had hung up tapestries and even paintings of landscapes. Dry Bones detested landscapes, but he knew Cobweb would like them. He had made the place beautiful for her, to make her comfortable when she lived with him. If she had swallowed the love potion, she would have felt true love forever, lived with him here with joy.
I'd never hurt her. I'd make her so happy.

But those bullies had ruined it for him. They
were
bullies. And moldmen, roogs, and even grobblers weren't working.
I'll have to kick it up a notch.
He would have to send a more horrible creature, a creature nobody could face and live, a creature from the lands of flame and fear. This creature made even Issa seem as harmless as a teddy bear.

It was time to summon his greatest champion yet. Dry Bones opened the trapdoor beneath his rug and stepped into his dusty, shadowy laboratory.

Time to cast some serious black magic.

Chapter Twenty-One

Bullies for Beans

In the morning, Neev woke up to find that Romy once more lay with her head on his chest. Once more, she had drooled all over him. Neev grunted. Over the past three weeks, her growth potion had been wearing off. She had gone to bed ten feet tall, down from a hundred at, well, her height. Throughout the night, she had kept shrinking and now finally seemed her normal size, placing her somewhere between Scruff's towering frame and Jamie's minuscule one.

"But I don't
like
raisins," Romy muttered in her sleep and scrunched her lips. Neev caressed her hair of flames, which felt warm but did not burn him, and gently moved her aside. He sat up in his blankets and raised his eyes to the forest canopy. The leaves rustled and the birds sang. The others were already awake. Scruff was frying eggs and bacon over the embers of their campfire, Jamie was sharpening her sword, and Cobweb was practicing archery by shooting at a tree.

They had found no more healing potions, and so had spent the past three weeks in the forest, waiting for Scruff's wounds to heal, for Romy to shrink, and for all their nerves to unwind. Over those three weeks, however, they had eaten a lot of food (especially the overgrown Romy), and spent a lot of money venturing into nearby villages for supplies. Neev scrunched his lips. As he waited for Scruff to finish cooking, he took stock of their inventory. All together they had five bronze coins and a handful of coppers. Once again they were destitute. Aside from the food now cooking for breakfast, they had only three skins of ale, a string of smoked sausages, and a stale loaf of bread.

"Well," he said, "we're broke."

Jamie looked up from her sword. "What do you mean 'broke'? I thought we won a fortune at Queenpool."

"We did," Neev said. "We spent it all."

Cobweb turned to face him, bow in hand, and Scruff raised his eyes from the breakfast pan. Romy snored blissfully.

"How could it be gone so soon?" Jamie demanded, rising to her feet.

Neev frowned. "Well, for one thing, you and Scruff bought breastplates. Those things are expensive."

Jamie looked down at the breastplate she wore, then back up at Neev, eyes blazing. "And you bought a new cloak, boots, and a silencing spell."

Cobweb bit her lip and lowered her eyes. "I'm sowwy. I b-bought some pewfume. It's aww my fauwt." She covered her eyes.

Neev shook his head. "Actually, Cobweb, you spent the least amount among us. The person who spent the most is... Romy."

They all turned to look at the demon, who was just waking up, rubbing her eyes. "What you talkin' bout, Neev?" she asked groggily, pushed herself up, and stretched. "I didn't buy any armor, any perfume, any clothes. Nothing!"

Neev tapped his chin. "Hmm, let's see. Back in Queenpool, you bought about forty pints, a whole roasted pig on a bed of mushrooms (which you ate only two bites of), three bottles of the oldest wine you could find... and then you lost three silvers in a game of cards."

Romy blinked. "Well, it's not my fault the barflies were cheating."

"Then," Neev continued, "if I recall correctly, you bought rounds of ale for said barflies, and finally spent another three silvers on magic beans."

Romy growled. "Those beans will grow someday, you'll see. And they'll lead to an enchanted land in the clouds, full of treasure."

Neev sighed. "In that case, it's too bad you boiled and ate those beans."

Romy pouted. "I was hungry."

Neev sighed again. "Nevertheless, we have only a few pennies left, not enough food to last a day, and... Romy! Will you stop wolfing down our last loaf of bread?"

Romy guiltily placed the bread aside and wiped crumbs off her face. "But me hungryyy."

Scruff walked toward her and held out his pan of eggs and bacon. "Here you go, Romy, have some breakfast. No— no, wait, Romy, that's for everyone!"

Within three seconds, Romy had gobbled most of the pan, leaving the others to groan and make do with the remainder. Once they had finished eating the leftovers, Neev stuffed his dagger into his boot, clasped his cloak around him, and announced, "We better find some work, or we'll starve to death before Dry Bones can kill us."

Scruff pulled on his boots, grabbed Norman, and started walking. "Queenpool is dangerous; Dry Bones would look for us there. There's a village called Greenford a few hours away. I hear it's a small place, but maybe they'll have a gig for us."

They walked through the forest. As usual, Scruff took the van, Norman in hand. The others walked behind him, Jamie last, her sword drawn. Romy hummed a tune as she walked, holding Neev's hand, and Neev wished he could feel as carefree as she did. He was worried. About Dry Bones. About starving to death. About never becoming a full fledged warlock. Truth is, today there seemed so much to worry about, Neev felt like a brick lay in his stomach, weighing him down. Even the gentle forest sounds—the rustling of leaves and chirping of birds—could not soothe him. The worry made him feel sick.

At least we're all together again,
he thought.
That's got to count for something.
Romy began to skip, still holding his hand, and Neev reflected that despite being annoying, the Bullies were dear to him. It felt good to have friends, especially on dark days like these.

After an hour of walking, they reached a path through the forest, which soon led to a dirt road lined with trees. Neev saw no other travelers, but the road seemed well walked, strewn with tracks of horseshoes, boots, and wagon wheels. A wooden sign was nailed into a tree. It said "Greenford, ten miles" with an arrow pointing north along the road. Beneath the sign, a parchment was nailed to the tree.

Neev walked up and examined the parchment. It bore a drawing of a monstrous vulture, an elephant in its talons, flames rising from its beak.

"Eww, what's that?" Romy asked, walking up beside him.

"It's a roc," Neev said quietly and shuddered. "Giant birds from your homeland."

Words were written beneath the drawing, and Neev read them out loud for the benefit of Cobweb, who could not read. "HEROES WANTED!!! The roc Vanderbeak, risen from Hell, is terrorizing our towns! Bring Vanderbeak's head to Greenford Manor for a sack of gold! Beware—Vanderbeak is DEADLY!!!"

Jamie's eyes widened. "A sack of gold," she breathed. "What do you think, Neev?"

Neev scratched his chin. "I think whoever wrote that poster sure loves exclamation marks."

"Be serious," Jamie said and swiped her sword. "This is the chance we've been looking for. We kill one little birdie, and we'll never have to work again. A sack of gold will last us a lifetime."

Neev examined the parchment again. That roc did look deadly. Its serrated beak breathed a lot of fire, and its talons were the size of tree trunks if they could lift an elephant.

"I don't like this," Neev said, "but let's keep walking. Maybe some heroes killed the roc already, and Greenford will have an easier gig for us."

They kept traveling down the road, and soon the forest gave way to rolling fields of wild grass. Boulders rose like houses around them, and mist hung over valleys of bluebells and goldenrods. They walked for two more hours, found a few apple trees for lunch, and finally reached farmlands of oats and wheat. No farmers worked the fields, plows were rusting outside, and ravens pecked unmolested at seeds.

"Where is everybody?" Cobweb whispered, and Neev thought he knew.

"Look," he said, pointing.

The other Bullies looked, and they froze in their tracks. Not a mile away they saw a silo, cottage, and barn, all burned and broken. The fields surrounding the house were burned, too. Hesitantly, Neev began walking toward the farm, and the others followed.

As they got closer, Neev saw ruts in the ground, ten feet long and three feet deep. Neev was no farmer, but he knew no plow could leave ruts that deep. These were the marks of talons. The same marks were etched into the silo and barn; it looked like a giant bird had smashed them before burning what remained.

"Oh no," Romy said and covered her mouth.

"Vanderbeak was here," Neev said.

The Bullies shuddered, and Romy clasped Neev's hand so hard, it hurt.

They kept traveling toward Greenford, and as they walked through the farmlands, they saw more of Vanderbeak's destruction: burned cottages, trampled barns, and frightened peasants hiding behind boarded windows. Animal bones lay strewn about, and Neev even saw a human skeleton with a broken sword still clutched in its hand. At first he started, sure Dry Bones had caught up with them, but it was only a dead soldier who happened upon Vanderbeak.