Fireclaws - Search for the Golden (17 page)

Sensing I was awake, Daphne edged away from our spooning position and onto her back. She stared up at me silently, her large dark eyes betraying no emotion. I don’t know what came over me, but I reached down and caressed the hair out of her eyes, and finally leaned over and kissed her. She closed her eyes briefly and just let me explore her lips before reopening them and stretching up to initiate some kisses of her own, her hands sliding coolly along both sides of my face. Finally, with the briefest trace of a smile, she exhaled slowly.

“Remember what I told you when we first met, Oh Great Wizard?”

“You mean the-kiss-me-and-I’m-yours-forever part?”

“Ahuh…signed, sealed, and delivered, Kerrik Beratin,” she whispered huskily. “Please don’t break my heart.”

“Daffi, what happened? I remember being shot, I remember the impacts of the arrows; hell, I remember all the arrows in you as well. How is it we are still alive? Or are we?”

The pooka reached into my shirt and pulled out Ryliss’ defense charm; together, we watched it turn to dust in her palm. “This saved you.”

I shook my head in wonder; magical items were something that we read stories about when we were kids. Oh, there were the occasional dwarf-made items that one saw the street vendors in the bigger cities hawking, most of which were clever fakes. “But what about you, Daffi, I saw you blocking the arrows from hitting me, I saw the blood! How is it you still breathe?”

She looked at me and reached up to brush her lips against mine, seeming to revel in the sensation as a contented smile crossed her face. “I will tell you everything, Kerrik. You see, a pooka cannot be killed in their animal form. We feel the pain of everything that happens to us, be it arrow, stone, or dagger, but true death can only occur in our human form. So if you ever feel the need to kill me, now you know my most vulnerable secret.”

“But you still felt the pain from each of those arrow strikes that you blocked? Daffi, there were a dozen or more!”

“Yes, and I felt each and every one of them, but I would do it again tenfold to save you.”

“But why?”

“I thought wizards were supposed to be smart,” she growled and pulled me down to her soft lips again.

A short while later, after we had extricated ourselves from under the downed tree, Daphne sat cross-legged out in the sun, her arms and face stretched out like a sunflower in a meadow. I leaned up against a tree trunk in the shade, and we discussed our problem.

“I’m sure I could sneak into their camp, Kerrik; but they aren’t exactly going to allow her to ride out unchallenged on any of my forms. There are over fifty armed men there and only two of us. Plus, they will be expecting a rescue attempt, unless they think we’re dead, that is.” Daffi said.

“What if I created a diversion?”

“You were lucky to have Ryliss’ charm on you the first time, you won’t be so lucky again. You have no weapon; most of your spells are useless against a crowd of that size, and there’s still the gargoyle to consider. We need help, Kerrik.”

I considered it for a few moments. “The only force close enough to help would be the Canna and I doubt they will be very willing.”

“Perhaps if you offered them a year’s service?”

“Oh, I’m sure if I was an earth wizard or a Druid like Ryliss they would consider it, but what exactly is a unskilled wind wizard going to do for a forest of elves? Still, I have to try everything to get Andi free; the worst they can say is no. Hopefully, they are in a better mood than when I left.”

“Yes, well, I’m pretty sure after I left, things improved remarkably,” Daffi snickered. “I will take you as far as the edge of the forest; from there, it’s up to you.”

“No need, I think it is time to reinforce my status as an all-powerful wizard and fly there myself. If nothing else, it might raise my prospects for bargaining with them.”

Less than an hour later, I started my descent into the elf village. Finding it by air wasn’t so hard now that I knew it was on the banks of the great river. Extending my arms theatrically, I attempted to look impressive. There was a beehive of activity going on below me, just none of it because of me. From what I could tell, all the fuss centered on a large, rolling wagon that had just been parked at the far edge of the commons. The wooden top prevented me from seeing what was inside, but it appeared to have iron bars extending above the roof, like the prisoner transport that had hauled me from the tavern what seemed like so long ago.

On the trip here, I had divided thoughts. One was worry for my sister, but I managed to convince myself that seers were too valuable to waste. Since they had snatched only her specifically from our camp, it seemed certain they knew who and what she was. For the time being, she was probably safe from death, at least.

My second concern was my new found feelings for Daphne. I was painfully aware of Ryliss’ warning concerning the pooka cross, but the image she had portrayed of Daffi as a shallow, almost mindless slave to lust didn’t match the girl I had come to know. She was sweet, caring of others, and she had saved my life at great personal pain. This wasn’t a girl who existed only for a quick roll in the forest. I was also reminded that Ryliss hadn’t known Daffi more than a few hours, so it could well be that her vision was skewed by the same preconceived notions that I had tripped over. If Daphne was some sort of damaged freak-of-nature, it occurred to me that I could be considered the same.

I was perhaps only fifty feet or so above the arena area where we had first been questioned before any of the Canna noticed me at all. Instantly, I was covered by a dozen or more bowmen, but Aegone was already standing outside among his people and he waved off the threat with a politician’s smile on his pale face. Landing, I swept into a formal bow, as most of the elves vacated the area between us.

“Wizard Beratin, what a delightful surprise. Frankly, I didn’t think we would be graced with your company quite so soon. I’ll admit you had us worried when the donkeys we gifted you returned riderless. Surely, you have not returned from Xarparion already?” he chortled, obviously in a good mood.

“Not exactly, Chief Aegone. You seem to be in much-improved spirits.”

“Yes, since you left, the crops have turned around, the milk has stopped curdling in the milkmaids’ buckets, and today of all glorious days, we have finally taken care of the last of the irritants plaguing us.”

“Really? I am pleased for you. Perhaps with all this overflowing good fortune, you would look kindly toward my asking a boon of you.”

The tall elf winced slightly but continued to smile and wave at some of his people who walked by, but his eyes were cold as ice. He continued, “Since the bulk of my recent good fortune occurred after you vacated our lands, Wizard,” he said warily, “I sincerely hope this request includes you leaving and never returning.”

“It does, or at least, it can.”

“Excellent!” Aegone smirked and pointed. “Look, they are readying the festivities!” My eyes followed his hand, and my attention was drawn to the wagon I had spotted from the air. It was parked on the top of the bonfire knoll and its wheels chocked with blocks of wood. From where I stood, whatever was inside was hidden by a curtain of dark fabric that encircled the wagon body. Young elves were running back and forth carrying armloads of cut wood, pine branches, and dry tinder materials and stuffing them under the entire length of the wagon.

“A bonfire?” I guessed.

The pale elf paused to tickle an elf baby under its chin as her mother carried her overly swaddled child past. “Oh, much, much more than that, my friend, it’s more like a demon crucifixion. You’ll see they are almost finished with the preparations. Now explain this boon of yours…”

I told him in detail how Andea had been kidnapped, leaving out any references to her being a seer, I especially omitted mentioning anything about the pooka. I also detailed what assistance I was petitioning for from the Canna.

Aegone was practically giggling as I wrapped up my proposal and I had even thrown in my offer of a year of service as Daffi had suggested. “Ha Ha, Wizard, you really are quite the amusing character. Let me see if I have captured the gist of this. You want me to hazard the lives of my warriors against a troop of fifty heavily-armed mercenaries and a magical gargoyle, of all things, to accomplish what? Rescue a useless, damaged slip of a girl?”

“My sister,” I gritted, not liking his tone.

The elf chief chuckled. “Pardon, your sister, then…and for completing this task, we Canna gain what? Your undying gratitude? Oh wait…I almost forgot your generous offer of a year’s servitude.” He turned and faced me, the smile sliding off his face, and his eyes hardened. “I thought I explained that I wanted you well gone and away from my people, not hanging around here worthlessly for another year. The answer is no!”

“But they will kill her!”

“Then go back to Xarparion. I’m sure with all your alleged connections, of which I am still somewhat skeptical, you should be able to enlist the aid of your fellow wizards to do your bidding. The Canna have no interest or concern in this matter.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hand, silencing me. “I have spoken! Now you will have to forgive me, but I must take my leave of you; I have a joyous speech to deliver.” And he walked away a few paces.

By now the prison wagon looked like it was floating on a huge raft of wood and tinder at the peak of the knoll. The young elves doing all the work stood back and dusted off their hands and clothing, smiling at the chief expectantly. A couple of them retrieved burning torches from somewhere and stood at attention for instructions. Beaming at his people, Aegone stepped onto a raised dais that had been moved up by servants.

Unlike the first time when Ryliss, Andi, and I had been questioned publicly, this speech was entirely in elf. I had picked up a few words in the army, but I certainly couldn’t follow it all. I probably wouldn’t have wanted to know either. The way Aegone was preening up there, I’m sure the self-important bastard was taking credit for the sun and the moon at the moment. It did give me time to consider my situation; the Canna’s reaction to my request wasn’t entirely unexpected, but I had to try for Andi’s sake. I would just have to figure something out.

I was just about to cast a fly spell and head back to find Daffi, when the tempo of Aegone’s words shot up, and he pointed dramatically toward the wagon pyre. To the cheers of the assembled throng of Canna, a couple of elf attendants ran up with hooked sticks and dragged down the curtain that circled the iron bars of the wagon body. In the sunlight, it took my eyes a few moments to make heads or tails of what I was looking at. For the longest time, it looked like just a motionless black mass. Finally, there was some definition and I saw a creature I recognized! Bloodied and matted, but still regal as hell, it was a Jag’uri puma, Ryliss’ Naurakka!

Getting up stiffly, she roared a challenge to the crowd and halfheartedly batted at the iron bars. A couple of younger children with long sharp sticks prodded at her, but the great cat seemed resigned to her fate and simply lay back down to wait for the end. Before she lay her huge head back down on the wood floor of the wagon, she glanced in my direction and tilted her head questioningly, her eyes locked on mine. Finally, she just settled down on the floor with her chin resting on her paws.

With a dramatic flourish, Aegone signaled the torch bearers, and they immediately tossed their brands on wood under the wagon. The dry tinder practically threw itself into the fire, and in a few seconds, the entire pile started to churn with smoke and laughing flames of hellish delight.

Without thinking, I redirected the energy I was building up for the fly spell to my hands and let loose with a blast of air. Normally, one of my best casts couldn’t knock over a potted plant from this distance, but I must have instinctively channeled some of my bottled-up rage and hit it just right.

A howling cone of straight-line force blew under, across, and around the wagon, extinguishing the flames as if they were matchsticks. The wind chased the accumulated piles of wood and tinder out from under the wagon. It exploded them outward with enough strength to cast most of the material over the banks of the chasm and into the river far below. The sheer force of the gale lifted the heavy wagon up on two wheels and held it teetering there for a few seconds until the magic subsided. The wagon then slammed back down onto all four wheels with a dramatic screech of rusting twisted metal, kicking out a couple of the wood blocks that kept it from rolling.

There was complete and total eerie silence as every mouth in the place formed a silent O, and nervous glances were exchanged throughout the crowd. To his credit, Aegone probably snapped out of the shock first, even before me!

“How dare you interfere with Canna justice!” he bellowed, his usually colorless face now stained an apoplectic red color.

“Burning a natural creature alive is not justice! No more than throwing a defenseless, manacled woman over a cliff into a river is justice!” I screamed back at him. “Where I come from, the gentle wisdom of the kingdom of elves is revered. I see neither gentleness nor wisdom in the deeds of the Canna!”

“You…you overreach yourself, Wizard! Another word and I will have you cast into the cell with the Jag’uri you so eloquently defend.”

“I will make you a deal, oh great chief of the Canna!” I shouted sarcastically for all in the silent crowd to hear. “Since the Canna allegedly value courage and honor above all things, I will voluntarily walk into the cage with the creature bearing no weapon and using no magic. I will abide with it for a span of twenty minutes to prove that the horrifying and deadly Jag’uri will not harm me. At the end of that time, I will tie a piece of string around its terrifying neck and lead it out of the enclosure like a kitten. We will then leave this place, your forest, and all the lands of the Canna forever. Deal?”