Wizard Ch. 10

John and his companions are searching the mountains for survivors from the abandoned village of Rock Haven. This chapter, sadly, lacks any sexy-times. Consider it a reprieve, there's plenty more action yet to come!

Chapter 9, Chapter 1, or Enchanted, the book that started it all

"There it is," Helleen called back as softly as she could.

John and Artesia lifted the heads and peered ahead. John could see as well in the dark as if it were high noon thanks to his demonic heritage but he didn't want the others to know. He glanced at Artesia first and saw she was picking out the buildings too. He turned and called back to the others, relaying the information that they'd found the village of Highpass.

"Let's go, it's almost too dark to see the ground in front of me," Matthew said. "I don't much care for being hunted in the dark."

"Better to be the hunter?" Artesia asked.

"No, better to be around a camp fire or in my bedroll!"

Artesia let her lips twitch in a smile at his unexpected response.

They continued to the out buildings and moved past them. There were no lights flickering in the windows but the faint smell of cook fires lingered in the air. They looked to one another, their spirits boosted at the thought of what cook fires meant.

Jennaca held out her hand when she and Helleen reached the edge of a house. Helleen stopped, her chain-covered bodice pressing against Jennaca's arm. Helleen turned back, her chain links rustling against one another, and held out a hand to warn the others.

"What is it?" John whispered after closing the distance and pressing in behind them.

"Nothing," Jennaca said. "And that's the problem. We're on the late side of dusk, sure, but there should still be people about. Those at a tavern or some guards or something, you'd think."

"You'd think," John agreed. He peered past her and looked up and down the street. "Not many buildings, really. That one there would be the first one they built. It's large enough for people to stay in while they built up others. When it's done it turns into a tavern or temple or something, I'd guess."

"A temple should be built upon consecrated ground," Sadie said from behind him.

John glanced over his shoulder at her. "You're right, a proper one would be."

"Well, let's start here," Jennaca said and gestured at the building they were crouched beside.

"If they've a fire inside I wouldn't mind warming up a little," Helleen agreed.

Artesia snorted and let it go at that. As the sun had dipped behind the ridge and settled into the west the temperature had grown colder and colder. They'd climbed higher into the mountains too, making it harder to breathe as they went since the air thinned. Skimpy armored skirts and daring breastplates did little to protect plunging cleavage from plunging temperatures.

John gave Jennaca a nod and said, "Let's go introduce ourselves."

Jennaca flashed him a smile. The two of them left the shelter of the building and walked around to the front. A gentle breeze blew across the opening in the center of the town. John's infernal heritage helped him take no notice of inconvenient climates. Jennaca's arms and belly shivered and was covered in goose pimples but she ignored it and moved to the door of the small home.

John nodded when she looked at him. She knocked on the door and stepped back and to the side. They waited almost a full minute before Jennaca stepped up and knocked on the door again, harder.

They looked at one another after several more seconds passed. John opened his mouth but Jennaca gave him a quick shake of her head and pointed at the door. John's eyes narrowed and he looked back at it.

"Who's out there?" a gruff voice called from behind the door.

"Travelers," John answered. "We're from Rock Haven."

Silence greeted him. He and Jennaca shared another look before the man spoke again, "The pass is blocked!"

"We climbed over it," John said. "Took us a couple of hours and we suffered a few bumps and bruises for the effort."

"What's your name?"

"John. My companion is Jennaca and I've several others that came with me, including a priestess of Eile."

The speaker was silent again. John tempered his desire to pound the door open and was rewarded when he heard a bolt being drawn and then the latch lifted. The door opened enough for a bearded man to peer out at him. He looked John up and down, his eyes narrow with suspicion.

"You're John?"

"Yes," John said.

The door opened wider and so did his eyes when he saw Jennaca in her loin cloth, half shirt, and multiple weapons. "A bit cold out, isn't it?"

Jennaca shrugged. "Feels nice, but if I stop moving it might set in to me."

He grunted and looked past the two of them. "You said you had others... and a priestess?"

"I do," John said and nodded to Jennaca.

She stepped back and to the side until Helleena and Artesia could see her. She waved and they all came walking out. They gathered in front of the door and the three scantily clad gladiators shivered in the mountain breeze that flowed through the common space of the small village.

"This is Sadie, she's chosen of Eile," John said and gestured at the woman.

Sadie smiled at the villager and stepped forward so he could see her. "I wouldn't say chosen, but I am a priestess. Are you hurt or sick?"

He hesitated and then said, "Not me, but my brother... he hurt his leg."

"I'd be happy to see to him," she said.

He nodded and eyed John. "Just you."

"Half a moment, friend," John said. "We--"

"I got no proof you're friends," the villager said. "You want me to trust you, you need to give me a reason. Send her in to help my brother. If all goes well then that'll be a mark in your favor."

John glanced at Sadie and then back to the man. "Sadie's not mine to command, she's free to do as she wishes. All of these people are, I was simply hoping to get some of our more exposed members out of the cold."

"We're fine," Roxanne said. "Fine enough for now, that is."

John looked to Helleen and Weston and got clipped nods in return. He turned back to the villager and smiled. "Well, seems they're made of sterner stuff than I gave them credit for. We'll wait out here."

The villager glanced out into the darkness and nodded. "Take care... set a guard or something. Don't wander off either, these lands aren't safe. Especially at night."

John wanted to ask him about the demons but he bit the question back and said, "So we've learned. We'll be fine... for a bit, at least."

The villager pulled the door back and motioned for Sadie to come in. She cast the others a glance before slipping through the opening in the door. It was pushed shut and locked behind her, leaving them standing in the cold, dark, empty village proper.

"You didn't ask about the demons?" Matthew noted.

"We'll get to that," John said. "The longer I sit and chat with him now, the longer it takes us to greet them proper and get inside."

"If they haven't be taken, are we even sure there's a problem?" Weston asked. He turned and gestured. "I mean, here's a town. Small, but still a half dozen buildings and a well in the middle of it all. Maybe something else happened at Rock Haven?"

"Like what?" Jennaca asked.

Weston looked at her and blushed. "I... I'm not sure."

"Don't forget Arika and her grandfather," she said. "They didn't lock themselves up and nearly die of thirst on their own."

Weston clamped his lips together and nodded.

"It's good to question though," John praised the young gladiator. "Keep us on our toes and make sure we're not overlooking something."

His head lifted and he nodded.

Matthew caught John's eyes and gave a nod of thanks.

"Artesia," John said and turned to his woman-at-arms. "Would you make sure we're set up in case something comes out of the wilderness at us?"

"Yes, my lord," she said. "Should we protect the entire town, or just this house?"

"The town, if we can manage. Let's show them we're not fucking around."

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Matthew asked.

"Until we know more, we have to act on what we do know," John said.

Artesia had to clear her throat and called Jennaca's name a second time to get the women to break through her adoring gaze at John. She soon had all of them with instructions on how to patrol -- in pairs, no less -- and how often to check in or call out if something was amiss. Everyone, even Zynga, had a job save for John and Matthew. They remained in front of the house and waited, each lost in their own thoughts until one of them thought of some manner of small talk to share.

The night stretched on until, almost an hour later, the door opened and Sadie stepped out. She was wiping her hands with a rag and frowned when she found only John and Matthew. "Where are the others?" she asked.

"Patrolling," Matthew answered.

"What's this? Patrolling? Patrolling what?" the villager asked as he filled the doorway.

"This village," John said. "Making sure none of whatever's out there comes in here."

The villager winced. "We tried that. Then our men started to disappear. Nobody wanted to do it after that."

"We're taking care to make sure that doesn't happen."

"So did we," he muttered.

"How's your brother?" John asked, redirecting the conversation.

He straightened and looked to Sadie. His face softened and he nodded. "Your words were true, she helped him."

"It was a bad broken," Sadie said. "Bone was broken and through the skin. It took three men plus me to set it straight and bring Eile's blessing to him."

"He'll walk again?" the villager asked.

"Yes, but infection had begun to set in, much longer and he'd have lost his foot."

The villager shuddered. "I can't think you enough then... please, come in. It's a bit tight in here but we can make do if there's only a couple of you."

"I'll wait outside," Sadie said.

"Not by yourself you won't," Matthew said.

"It really is full in there," she said.

"John, you go ahead, I'll keep Sadie company," Matthew said.

John nodded. "Of course. Pass the word when you see-- ah, there's Roxanne and Zynga now."

Matthew saw the two rounding the corner of a building as they walked the route Artesia had given them. He waved them over. "Go ahead," he said to John.

The villager stepped out of the way and motioned for John to enter. "My name's Brandon, sorry to leave you out there."

"No harm done and I don't fault you for caution," John said as he stepped into the one room building and looked around. A hearth made of mountain stone and baked mud was centered in the far wall. Banked coals cracked and spat as he watched them, but otherwise there were little to no flames. Others were gathered about, including a man lying on the floor fast asleep while a girl hovered over him and wiped his sweating brow with a dirty rag. Beside them a woman knelt and held his hand in hers.

"My brother, James, is on the floor with his wife, Katherine. Elizabeth is the girl wiping his sweat away. Sweet girl, that one," Brandon said.

John nodded and took in the others. "I'm John," he greeted them.

"That's Brodrick, our blacksmith, and Dustin. He owns the trading post," Brandon went on and pointed out the others. "That there is Shannon... she and her husband set up a farm half a day's walk to the east."

"It's all gone," Shannon mumbled. "They took them. Took them all."

"Shannon, you don't--"

John held up a hand. "Shannon? Tell me what happened."

She looked at him and sucked in a startled breath when the grief in her eyes cleared. "You... you don't know?"

"I just got here," he said. "My companions and I came from Rock Haven. We heard... things. We came to investigate. To help."

"Why?" Brodrick asked. "I've been to Rock Haven, we all have, you didn't live there."

"No, I didn't," John agreed. "I came from a place a long ways away from here. Thousands of miles."

"The world ain't that big!" Brodrick argued.

"It is," John said. I once lived southwest of Shazamir. You've heard of Shazamir, no doubt? It's a real place, though it might seem some fanciful distant land of sand an exotic people."

They all nodded.

"I was so far from there they thought much the same," John admitted. "I've been traveling for some time now, seeing the world and questing for knowledge."

Brodrick snorted. "What good's that done you? Searching for knowledge, don't you got none of that where you're from?"

John chuckled. "Perhaps not."

Brodrick glared at him and looked away, unable to argue with John when he'd offered to agree with him.

"Most recently I came from Dilly, where my friends and I helped expose the Queen as a jealous, evil woman that used magic to enthrall the men of the city. With their help we deposed her and a new Queen rules Dilly.

"From there we ventured north, intent on seeing the wilds and learning of the people brave and resourceful enough to live in them," he continued. "It wasn't until we visited Rock Haven that we learned that the rumors of how dangerous these lands are were true."

"We left the lands of petty tyrants behind," Brandon said. "Up here we came to live by our wits and talents. Free folk not beholden to the whims of some distant lord or lady."

"A noble goal indeed," John said. "One I support."

"What we face isn't no group of bandits or slavers," Dustin said. "What's out there... it-- they-- don't want our gold or our fealty. They want us!"

John turned back to Shannon. She was still watching him, her eyes clear and her lips just barely parted. "Is that what happened to your family?"

She gave a hesitant nod. "They took my youngest when he was out milking our goats. Then... then Ross took our oldest out to find him. He made me promise to come to town if high sun came and passed and they weren't back. Said he's meet me here after he got our boy back. That was three days back."

John winced. "I'm sorry, but don't hold out hope."

"You haven't seen these things!" Brodrick hissed. "There's no hope against these...these... things!"

"What are they?" John asked. "I've heard a little about them. A girl and her grandfather we found in Rock Haven. They told us about... well, they called them demons."

"That's the right of it," Brandon agreed. "Rumor has it they came out of some pit in the mountains. Some pit so deep it goes straight to hell."

"A portal to hell would be overrun in no time. We'd see far worse than just these creatures too. I can assure you that's not the case."

"How in the blazes do you know that?" Brodrick demanded.

"I'm a wizard," John said rather than revealing he was a warlock first and foremost to a group of terrified simple folk.

Gasps and muttered oaths sounded in the room.

"Can you make fireworks?" Elizabeth asked.

John chuckled. "I suppose I could, but let's save those for after, all right?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Aren't wizard the ones that upset demons like these?" Brodrick accused.

John sighed. "I can't argue that, but I can promise it had nothing to do with me. I'm here to help. Do you know about Hawk Hollow? Are they struggling as you are?"

"No idea, it's been over a week since we've heard from them. We don't have the people to risk sending a runner, neither," Brandon answered.

"Well, all of Rock Haven was empty. Save for Arika and her grandfather," John said. When he saw some confused looks he reminded them, "We found them in Rock Haven trapped in a root cellar."

Brendan and the others looked to each other. Heads shook before Brandon turned back to John. "Arika was up our way not long ago. A week or so, I think. Easy to lose track of the days when nothing's like what it ought to be. Never knew she had a grandfather either."

John frowned. "They'd been trapped in their cellar for days when we found them."

"Wait, Rock Haven is empty? What do you mean?"

"The people are gone," John said. "All of them. Well, we left a few to guard our wagons and horses. None of the people that live there though."

Silence fell amongst the frightened villagers. It stretched over a minute until John decided he needed to do something to keep them from giving up all hope. If Rock Haven had been sacked then it would be simple for Highpass to suffer a similar fate.

"What of James? How did he hurt his leg?" John asked.

"He was setting up snares, trying to catch us food we can trust. Said he heard something, something big, and feared one of them things was coming for him. He ran, stepped wrong on some rocks, and crawled and hopped his way back to the village after," Brandon said.

John winced. "That had to be horrible."

"He managed it just fine," James' wife said while clutching her unconscious husband's hand.

"He's always been a tough one," Brandon said.

John nodded and then tilted his head. "Wait, you said food you can trust? What do you mean by that?"

Brodrick snorted.

"Every few days a carcass shows up just outside of town on the main road. Gutted but not skinned. Deer, bear, elk, mountain goat... seldom the same thing twice."

John blinked. "Somebody's leaving wild game for you?"

Several nods answered his question.

John stared back, his mind reeling in confusion. "I... I don't know what to make of that," he admitted.

"Neither do we, but we don't trust it," Brandon said. "Meat's not tainted but..."

"But where's it coming from?" John finished for him. "And why?"

"It's not right," Brodrick muttered. "Like they're trying to fatten us up like pigs for a slaughter."

John was tempted to agree with the surly blacksmith. "Is this it? For Highpass, I mean. Are there more of you in the other buildings?"

"Yes, a few in each," Brandon said. "There's twenty six of us left, I think. Used to be forty two."

John winced. "Well, I've got nine people with me. All of us trained and able to help you fight back."

"If they wiped out Rock Haven nine people aren't going to make a difference," Brodrick grumbled.

"There was more than nine of them when we tried to head down the pass," Brandon said. "Couple of them caused that rock slide then the rest came rushing down the sides of the valley and set on us. We ran back but not all of us made it."

"Did you see them?"

Brandon and the others looked to each other. He turned back to John and nodded. "Yes, we did. They're... I don't know what they are. I never seen anything like them. Not even sure I've seen them, to be fair. They're so fast! Dark and leathery, no fur on them, but they've got long tails. Sharp tails, I seen them stab people with them. Big, big as a man or bigger. Claws like knives and teeth like daggers."

"Gators," Brodrick muttered.

"What's that?" John asked.

Brodrick looked up and saw everyone was looking at him. "Gators, I said. They got heads like the gators in the swamps south of here. Swamps like near Dilly. I remember seeing some when I came through there last year."

"Do they have short legs too?"

Brandon shook his head. "No, they run like dogs."

"More like a giant cat," Dustin said. "They can hide and stay still and then jump with no warning."

John let out the breath he was holding. "I've never heard of these things," he admitted. "Has anyone managed to hurt or kill one?"

"Nobody's had a chance," Brandon said. "They're too fast and smart. If they attack, they do it so there's no way we can fight back. Other than the time at the pass, they only go after one or two people at a time and almost never leave someone alive to tell about it. They take the bodies too, if they do kill someone."

John grimaced. "So at the pass, why didn't you fight then?"

"Rocks falling all around us and these things-- these demons-- racing through us? Nobody much thought about standing around to see what might happen."