The Wood Knot Warrior Pt. 02

She scowled at him as she pointed to three wagons pushed off to the side of the tent, which had once carried travelers from Portoa but were now covered in bloodstains.

She was about to speak again when she realized the air around her had gone completely still.

She couldn't get a breath.

"No air to cast your next spell? You stupid cunt. You shouldn't have messed with a wizard!"

Some might have panicked by not being able to breathe, but Eryllis had a temper, and this asshole just pushed her buttons.

Her eyes locked on his, hate radiating from them, and she saw a hint of doubt appear in his. He began to gesture quickly.

She reached deep, and the Master Druid's spirit in the staff flared. Lightning struck down from a clear sky to touch the tip of Eryllis' staff. It shattered the block of static air and followed the magic channel back to the ring the wizard used to power his suffocation spell. Overloaded, the gem exploded and took the surrounding fingers with it. Unfortunately for him, the rings on those fingers were also charging up for their deadly attacks. The lightning tripped them as well.

The sound of the chain reaction was almost musical with its snap, crackle, and high-pitched ping as each gem blew off the finger it was linked to.

Not a happy tune for the wizard.

He screamed as he stared at the stump of his right hand.

Mad with agony, he raised his left hand to launch another attack.

Eryllis frowned, and a second smaller bolt touched down directly on the crown of the wizard's head, instantly superheating its contents which exploded in a red mist.

She inhaled slowly and deeply until her rage cooled and she felt centered once more.

Kharza jogged up and stared at the body with smoke rising from its headless neck and right hand. "Did I see lightning? Was that you?" she asked in interest.

Eryllis nodded. "Yes. There was a wizard with the bandits." She looked around. "Where are all the bandits.

"I only met four," Kharza grumbled.

-=-

The thugs who survived Dell's initial rush and avoided the poison of Eryllis' vines realized they had no way out. They freed their weapons to attack Dell as a group.

Some had skill, but none were a match for a master swordsman or the powerful brute standing in for one. Dell's blade blocked, sliced, and diced until they all gave up their last breath.

When it was over, Dell surveyed the bandit's campsite and sighed at the carnage he'd left behind. While he was channeling the warrior, there was no room for doubt, and it all made sense to him. He knew what he was supposed to do and why.

But afterward, when the sword went still, and Dell could no longer feel the warrior's righteous spirit flowing through him, he felt a little ill and a little lost to see the death surrounding him.

He flicked his wrist, and the sword was clean once more. Nothing stuck to its surface. He slid it back into its scabbard, which appeared on his hip once more.

"Dell?" Eryllis called out from somewhere in the camp.

"Yeah... I'm done. Are there any more?" he called back.

The vines surrounding the area collapsed into dust as quickly as they appeared. Eryllis and Kharza joined him, the latter frowning in annoyance at the number of opponents at this end of the camp. They gingerly stepped over the dead bodies or body parts. Eryllis pointed her staff at the fire to start it once more. Torches popped into life around the site, and they could see the spoils the bandits had stripped from the three groups of travelers they'd robbed and murdered.

"I don't detect anyone else. What are we looking for again?" Eryllis asked as Dell pulled her into a hug.

He enjoyed the feel of her body against his. This helped him reconnect to the now, and he pulled back to give her a quick kiss. Kharza leaned over and got one too.

Dell looked around. "It's a red courier pouch from the Warrick family. It will be sealed with magic. Can you find anything magic in the campsite?" he said.

"There's an awful lot of red currently splashed all over the place," Eryllis said with a smirk.

"So funny," he said dryly as she closed her eyes and turned slowly in a circle.

"Several of the bodies have enchanted items on them as well, like rings, earrings, necklaces, and such. Nothing truly powerful," Eryllis said. She continued looking, then sighed as her eyes opened.

"There's a source of magic in the largest tent past the firepit. There was a wizard in there," Eryllis said.

"What?" Dell exclaimed as he looked at Eryllis in concern.

Kharza snorted. "Was a wizard. He lost his head."

Eryllis rolled her eyes at the play on words. "Ugh, that was bad."

The Orc looked at her curiously. "What was?"

Eryllis stopped and saw only innocence on her friend's face. "Never mind."

Kharza shook her head. "I'm going to go get the two-wheeled cart." They nodded to her, and she grabbed one of the torches on her way out of the camp.

Eryllis looked at Dell. "I didn't know there would be a wizard. Did the commander say there would be?"

He shook his head as they walked to the entrance of the tent. He spotted the dead wizard a short distance away and saw he was missing his head. Then he recalled the flash of light as he was killing the bandits. "What did you do that with?" he asked.

"Lightning."

Dell gave her an impressed nod and tossed open the tent flaps.

A feminine voice yelped from inside. Dell stepped back as his hand dropped to the sword's hilt. "I thought you detected no others in the camp?" he said to Eryllis, who raised her staff.

"I still don't!" she said as she cast her detection spells again.

Dell couldn't see anyone in the dim interior, and he certainly didn't feel like killing anyone else. "Excuse me? You in the tent. Would you come out, please?"

Eryllis turned her head to look at Dell incredulously.

"I-I cannot. I am bound by silver. It hurts so."

Dell shared a look with Eryllis. The voice sounded young, feminine, and weak from strain.

He gestured for her to wait, then walked into the tent with his hand on the sword, but he refused to draw it in advance. His night vision was excellent, but there was something else at work here as the shadows refused to yield their secrets. He sighed.

"I'm not here to harm you unless you're one of the bandits intent on killing travelers," Dell said calmly as he faced the deepest shadows.

He heard the female voice gasp softly as her strength ran out and the unnatural dark lifted. He could now see a small being leaning up against the main support pole of the tent.

He might have mistaken her for a Human teen as she shared many similarities with Humans, and the top of her head barely reached Dell's chest. But the long, pointed ears sweeping back through her hair, her glowing eyes, and significantly, the trembling, gossamer butterfly-like wings killed that idea.

Her beauty was... intense.

Long and thick silky hair, golden yellow like honey, flowed over her slim shoulders, hiding her modest breasts.

Her skin was smooth, unblemished, and so fair it seemed to glow faintly. That was Dell's impression, at least.

Maybe she had blue eyes, or perhaps it was just the pale blue glow radiating from them. They were striking, nonetheless.

Her cheekbones had a natural blush, and her sensual lips were a darker red.

Her size suggested her age to be in her teens, but her features and body language hinted that she was far more mature than that.

Something thin and glittering faintly encircled her, tying her to the pole. "Is that thread?" he asked.

"Yes," she signed.

"You're bound by silver thread?" he asked in surprise.

Luminescent eyes glanced up at him. "My kind cannot tolerate silver or entrapment. I am tortured by both. Will you free me?" she asked plaintively.

Eryllis entered the tent and gaped at the lovely creature tied to the tent support. She glanced down at her feet and spotted something red. "Before we do, can you tell us what that item at your feet is?" she said.

Dell finally managed to glance down and spotted the courier pouch.

"It was my prison. I was freed in a weakened state, but I discovered I was still imprisoned with this thread," the female sighed.

Dell looked into her eyes in confusion. "You were... contained in the courier pouch?"

"My kind can shrink to fit inside, though I did not do so of my own free will," the being said hesitantly as she watched Dell and Eryllis standing still before her. "Will you not free me?"

Dell frowned as his first instinct was to do exactly that. Except something was off. "I'd like to, but I've never heard of beings with that ability, and if I've learned anything during my days on the streets of Grennesh, a little caution yields much higher returns than brash action."

"Didn't you get into a lot of fights as a young boy?" Eryllis asked with a smirk.

"Not the point I was trying to make, thanks," Dell sighed.

The winged female stared at Dell in shock. "Grennesh?"

Dell nodded to her. "We're not too far from there—"

The young-looking female burst into tears, and Dell felt his heart breaking. He heard Eryllis begin to cry as well.

He pulled her to his chest as he glared at the winged being. "Stop manipulating our emotions!"

The female looked up at him angrily. "I'm not doing it intentionally. I'm so far from home, and I'm sad!"

"We're not here to harm you! Our task was to stop the bandits and find a red courier pouch." Dell exclaimed.

Blue eyes flared with light. "So, you admit you are here to capture me!"

Dell's anger flared to match hers. "NO! We weren't told what was in the pouch. If we'd known you were inside it...." Dell froze as he thought about that. No one would have wanted them to know what was in it.

He shook his head as there was something weird going on. "I'm sorry I yelled. Please be calm. We're here to help, okay? Let me remove the thread. Eryllis can you find some clothes for her in that trunk?" he said, pointing to the side of the tent. She nodded and moved to it.

Dell got closer to the young female. "My name is Dell, and that's Eryllis."

Hopeful blue eyes looked up into his. "I'm Tawna."

Dell tried to touch the threads, but he discovered he couldn't. He frowned with concentration as he did his best not to ogle her naked body. "Hi, Tawna. Can you tell me what race you are? I don't believe I've ever met someone with wings like yours."

She watched him suspiciously. "I'm a Pixie."

Dell looked back at Eryllis in exasperation. "Can I get your help here? I don't seem to be able to touch the thread."

Eryllis left the trunk, and once more, her magic didn't recognize the being before her. It also didn't react to the thread. Her fingers passed through it as well. Definitely something magic based.

"That's odd! I can't see it with my magic. Maybe your sword can cut it?" she said in frustration.

"My sword? I'm not going to swing that around her!" Dell exclaimed.

Eryllis smiled. "No, silly. Just see if the blade cuts it."

"Oh! Right," Dell said in embarrassment. "Sorry." She gave him another smirk and headed back to the trunk.

Dell looked into Tawna's eyes. "Don't move. This sword is exceptionally sharp." Tawna nodded as she looked at him nervously.

He carefully drew the sword, then used the tip to tug at one of the loops around her, and the thread split.

"It's working! Eryllis, you're a genius!" Dell said with a smile, and she grinned back.

Dell started at the top and slowly made his way through each turn of the thread around her and the central post. He wasn't sure how the remaining loops stayed in place while the others dropped away when he cut them (stupid magic) but he continued the tedious task until he reached her feet.

When the last one parted, he stood, slid his sword back into its scabbard, and glanced over his shoulder to Eryllis to see if she'd found something for the girl to wear.

The soft, naked female slumped forward from where she'd been clinging to the tent pole and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against his chest. He felt her trembling with exhaustion, and her lips were moving, but he couldn't hear the words. As his upper arms were under hers, he did his best to support her with his hands on her back. He was concerned about her wings but suddenly realized they were made of light!

Out of thin air, vibrantly blue butterflies suddenly swooped in to begin landing on him and the Pixie from all sides. Hundreds of them until all he could see was the flashing blue. He didn't feel frightened because... butterflies! Then a deep lethargy swept through his body as something drained his energy.

Just as quickly as they arrived, the butterflies released their hold and flew away, vanishing as they went until Dell could see again.

He was no longer in the tent.

He struggled to remain conscious as a desperate weariness tugged at him. He was standing in the center of a large ceremonial chamber with thousands of winged beings surrounding him. Over a roaring in his ears, he could just make out the sound of frightened screams and deeper angry shouts. Then his legs gave out, and he toppled backward, the naked Pixie stretched out over him.

His head struck the wood floor and darkness.

-=-

Eryllis turned her face from the trunk and froze as she watched beautiful blue butterflies suddenly swarm around Dell and the collapsing Pixie. When they burst back into flight and faded away, Dell and the Pixie were gone.

"NO!" she screamed as she broke the paralysis of her shock and leaped to her feet. She rushed forward, but they truly had vanished. She could detect no magic at all.

"DELL!" she shouted and rushed out of the tent.

Kharza was just entering the camp and immediately released the cart and rushed to her side. "What happened? Where's Dell?"

Eryllis was frozen with dread. She cast her magically amplified senses outwards, but only Kharza appeared within the radius of her sweep.

Kharza took hold of her face between her palms and looked into her eyes. "What happened while I was gone?"

Eryllis nodded. "We-we came into the tent and found a young woman with large butterfly wings tied to the main tentpole with magic silver thread." She immediately turned and walked back into the tent with Kharza at her back. There, at the base of the post, was the red courier pouch and a pile of cut segments of silver thread next to it. She picked up the pieces, and the magic was gone. She scooped it into the pouch and lifted it to show her Orc friend. "We couldn't touch the magically charged thread, but Dell's sword could cut it, so he did that while I looked for clothes for her. When I looked back, they were suddenly covered in blue butterflies. When they flew away, vanishing in thin air, Dell and the girl were no longer there. It was some kind of magic, but I couldn't detect it at all!"

"Where did they go?" Kharza asked.

"I have no idea. Tawna was her name, and she said she was very far from home. Maybe... maybe her spell took them... home?" Eryllis was beginning to tremble once more.

Kharza stared at Eryllis and spoke quietly. "Not good. What do we do?"

Eryllis was staring at the pouch in her hands, and her expression changed from fear to anger as she contemplated it. Kharza was right. Worrying was not productive. She needed to do something!

"This mission was odd from the start. Why were the bandits only targeting people coming from Portoa and only larger groups? The request to look for this specific courier pouch, which we discovered contained a person from a race we've not seen before, seems very suspicious. We need information."

She walked out of the tent and over to the wizard's body. "I regret exploding his head now. It would have been helpful to bring his head back to Grennesh to have him identified."

"He has some fancy rings and chains. Maybe someone will recognize those? We could ask your Master Wizard friend, Morgan," Kharza suggested.

"Can you collect those? I'm going to get some drawing materials to make sketches of his tattoos," Eryllis said.

Kharza grinned at her. "You can draw?"

The mother raised a haughty eyebrow. "I draw pictures with my children. Don't you with Ket?"

Kharza shook her head as she smiled. "We practice throwing rocks at targets. Helps his hand-eye coordination."

Eryllis stared at her. "He's two!"

Kharza's smile was wide. "He's very good at it, too!"

Eryllis shook her head and headed back into the tent to get the paper and charcoal she spotted in the trunk. Someone's treasures which she would use to identify their killers. While they'd already avenged the dead by killing the bandits, it felt like there might have been a plan behind the attacks. Eryllis needed to find out who was pulling the strings, as they might know where Dell had been taken.

And that's all that mattered right now.

Chapter 6

It took Eryllis and Kharza two days to complete their work at the bandit's campsite and make the trek back to the Inn. When they arrived, Karter met them on the porch and heard Eryllis' story with Kharza's supporting comments. He sent a runner up the hill to fetch Morgan Ducane and Commander Falco. He was visibly upset about Dell's abduction.

Eryllis and Kharza rested on the porch seats as Kharza was tired from pulling Eryllis most of the way back in the cart. Once they'd reached the turn-off to Grennesh, the road had been all uphill. Eryllis had pushed the cart as Kharza pulled.

Morgan was the first to arrive. He took one look at the grim expression on Eryllis' face and suggested they take the conversation inside. Karter led them to his office.

"Should we wait for the commander?" Morgan asked.

Eryllis shook her head. "Before he arrives, I have a question about the Warrick family courier pouch we were asked to collect."

Morgan frowned. "You found it?" She nodded. "You didn't open it, did you?"

Eryllis shook her head. "There was a wizard with the bandits. I think he opened it shortly before we arrived, but I guess it might have been one of the bandits. They're all dead now."

Morgan nodded as he expected to hear they'd cleared out the criminals. "No, the bandits couldn't have done it. Official family courier pouches are sealed with powerful magic. Only the sender or the designated recipient can open them. Who was this wizard?" Morgan asked.

"He didn't tell me his name as he tried to kill me with his magic. Then I made his head explode, so I couldn't bring that for identification. I did sketch his tattoos in case they were distinctive," she said.

Kharza opened a rag she had that contained the wizard's jewelry. "He was wearing these," she said, placing it on Karter's desk.

Morgan's eyes widened. "Power focus rings. If he wore this many, he relied too much on external support for his spells, which tells me he wasn't naturally gifted. That said, these can contain a tremendous amount of power."

Eryllis frowned. "They explode quite nicely when struck by lightning, too."

Morgan's eyes flicked to the Druid staff, then back to the rings.

She found the drawing she'd made of the wizard's tattoos. "These were on his arms."

He looked at the symbols, and his expression hardened. "This man was experimenting with the dark arts." He glanced at her. "Were his teeth black?"

She thought back and nodded slightly. "It was dark, but I think his teeth were smudged with something."

Morgan sat back. "If I'm right about the tattoos, the magic he studied requires a certain amount of personal sacrifice. Most turn to strong drugs to dull the pain. These drugs are highly addictive, so he'd have to take these jobs to pay for his next fix. There is a way to weaken the magic seal on a courier pouch, but no reputable wizard would do it. It tends to stain your magic until you do a full cleanse, leaving you dulled and weakened for days." He seemed to contemplate that for a moment.