Cloak & Dagger: Book II of The Dragon Mage Trilogy (16 page)

Chapter 13

M
any hours had passed and Vera was beginning to become fatigued. Her quest to find Cyril was more difficult than she had imagined. There were numerous tunnels that the cyclops could have gone down and it was entirely possible that she had missed the right path. Furthermore, she had to be careful not to become lost. The paths she had taken thus far were becoming difficult to remember. She made sure to mark intersections by making scratches in the walls in case she wanted to leave the mountains. The cleric narrowed down her search to the tunnels that seemed more heavily traveled because the others were too dusty and cobwebbed to have been used recently. Cyril was large in stature, so the smaller tunnels were definitely out of the question. That left the larger tunnels and main branches. Even using these tactics, Vera was beginning to lose hope. The only things that kept her hopes up were scuff marks and signs of recent disturbance in the sometimes soft soil on the tunnel floor.

But now the cleric was in need of some much needed rest. She hadn’t slept for a day and a half now and her body ached from the climb up the mountain. Her lit staff indicated some low alcoves ahead where she could crawl in away from the main tunnel. It was off to the side at an odd angle and she was fairly certain it would hide her from view should any undesirable travelers come along. It was also deep, so she could crawl well out of visible range should anyone actually look in that direction. The dirt and cold of the ground was a far cry from a soft, clean bed in the Tower of Hope, but it would have to do. She laid out her blanket so her clothes could remain as clean as possible and laid down. Sorting through her pack, she withdrew some compressed rations and ate a sizeable portion. Then she took a small drink from her wineskin and put it safely into her pack. With dinner completed, she canceled her spell on her staff and her alcove became dark. Then she curled up on her blanket and fell asleep.

She didn’t know how long she had been sleeping when she awoke with a start. Something furry had crawled into her blanket and was rubbing her leg. With a cry, she shook herself free of the blanket and found her staff on the ground nearby. Chanting an incantation, she lit the staff and caught sight of a furry creature as it fled from her alcove. It was a mouse.

Composing herself, Vera gathered her belongings and stuffed them in her pack. She was fully awake now and decided to move on. Hoping that she hadn’t fallen too far behind the cyclops, Vera hastily crawled from her resting place and proceeded to follow the tunnel at a brisk pace. She didn’t go very far before she heard a muffled sound ahead. It sounded like something large was shuffling along. Her heart jumped to her throat. Could it be Cyril? She hoped so. A side passageway appeared to her right and that’s where the sound had originated. She entered and walked around a gradual corner. The shuffling sound was nearer now. Vera’s heart pounded. Shakily, she attempted a loud whisper. “Cyril?”

The sound stopped. Vera braced herself, hoping that it was Cyril and not something entirely different. The shuffling continued and became louder still.

Holding her staff high, Vera fingered a small dagger at her side in a belt holster. Whatever was there was getting closer. “Cyril?” repeated Vera, louder this time. If it was Cyril, he would answer.

The shuffling sound paused but still there was no answer. Now Vera was afraid. She turned and started to run back to the main tunnel. The shuffling sound was right behind her. Whatever it was, it was now running after her.

Vera was a fast runner, yet whatever was behind her seemed to be keeping up. She began to panic. There were all manner of creatures in the mountains and she could be in grave danger. She was foolish to have entered the mountains alone. She wondered what had possessed her to go after Cyril in the first place.

Her thoughts changed when she stumbled over some uneven ground. Right now she had to get away. She looked behind her before entering the main tunnel, half expecting to see a gruesome creature in pursuit. Only flickering shadows from her staff light were visible. Breaking free of the side tunnel, Vera turned to go back the way she had come, but the way was blocked by a massive creature. Her momentum prevented her from stopping in time, and she flew headlong into the creature’s arms. The creature instinctively embraced her while she instinctively let out a blood curdling scream.

Vera fought like a demon to escape the grip of the creature, and to her surprise, she succeeded. Spinning away, she turned and stopped dead in her tracks. The way was blocked by the creature that had chased her. It was an ogre. Its eyes were a pale shade of yellow, and it had a messy mat of black hair. Its head was shaped like a Neanderthal, and its arms hung like a gorilla’s, with long hair under the armpits. The entire body was covered in dark brown hair, and the stench of its unclean body filled the air. Yellow teeth grinned at her and spittle drooled from its mouth. Looking up, it suddenly saw the other creature behind Vera. Its jaw started to open in surprise and it froze on the spot. Vera spun to see what it was staring at and froze herself.

Cyril was the first to recover from his look of astonishment. “V-Vera?” he stammered. “What are you doing here?”

Of course there was no answer. The others were both paralyzed. Cyril shook his head in bewilderment. He stepped forward and gently picked up the prone figure of the cleric, hoisting her over his shoulder. Deftly stepping past the ogre, he strode purposefully down the tunnel until he came to a fork. He chose the left one and walked a short distance before entering a conglomeration of bisecting caverns. Winding his way through several of these, Cyril found a smaller tunnel that appeared to have been abandoned for an extended time. Entering this tunnel, he walked for a good half hour before he deemed it safe to stop and rest near a moon-shaped alcove.

Gently putting the cleric down, the cyclops surveyed his surroundings. The walls here were wet with dew and veins of some sorts of minerals ran in all directions.

A moan signaled the awakening of the cleric from her paralysis. Cyril made sure to avoid his gaze as Vera regained consciousness.

“Cyril!” exclaimed Vera suddenly. The fragile cleric sprang at the cyclops and embraced him. “I’ve found you at last!”

“You were looking for me?” asked the cyclops. He tried to detach the cleric gently but she refused to budge.

“Yes!” said Vera. “I couldn’t just let you run off like that! It wasn’t your fault that you paralyzed the head groundskeeper!”

“Sure it was!” retorted Cyril. “He was my boss! I had no right to do that!”

Vera finally let go of the cyclops to look at the side of his face. “He had no right to treat you like he did! I would have done far worse to him if I were you!”

Cyril shook his head. “You don’t understand. Someone like me could never be allowed to roam in the human’s realm. I’m a freak!”

“No, you’re not!” stated Vera resolutely. “Just because you only have one eye and accidentally paralyze people doesn’t mean you should be confined to a life of exile! You have a special gift!”

“Gift? It’s a curse, not a gift!” snapped Cyril.

Vera calmed her voice before continuing. “You can let it be whatever you want it to be, Cyril. If you want it to be a curse, then it’s a curse. But if you want it to be a gift, it can be a very useful gift.”

“How?” asked Cyril. “Tell me how it can possibly be a gift!”

“Look at what you just did,” said Vera. “You used your gift to save me from an ogre, and an ugly one at that. Your gift saved my life.”

Cyril tilted his head in consideration. “I could have paralyzed you and not the ogre if the ogre didn’t look into my eye. You could have been hurt!”

“Nonsense!” shot back Vera. “You would have protected me by force if necessary. I know you better than that.”

Cyril grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess.”

Vera gave the cyclops a shot in the arm. “You guess! My foot! You would have beaten the hair off his smelly armpits!”

Cyril’s grin got wider. “They did smell, didn’t they?”

“Something awful!” said Vera. Her serious demeanor suddenly returned. “You can use that gift of yours to save others, you know. You just have to use it wisely.”

Cyril’s grin vanished. “Maybe, but most people wouldn’t see it that way. You might understand me, but others would think I’m up to no good. Every time I try to help, someone interprets my actions as being bad. It’s been that way all my life. I doubt those attitudes would change now.”

“You’d be surprised,” said Vera. “If I understand you, there must be others who think the same way.”

Cyril sighed. “It doesn’t matter, Vera. After what I did to the head groundskeeper, they will never let me return. I ran away like the guilty creature I am. It’s pointless to consider the possibility.”

“I’m not so sure,” said Vera. “The Tower of Hope does not discriminate.”

“The groundskeeper did.”

“True,” admitted Vera. “But he paid the price for his actions. I don’t expect he would treat you like dirt anymore.”

“That’s a sad way to gain respect,” said Cyril.

“Some people learn the hard way,” said Vera. “But most people would accept you without resorting to those measures. Just give it time. You’ll see.”

“I don’t know,” Cyril mumbled.

A dull echo halted their discussion.

“Did you hear that?” asked Vera.

“Yeah,” said Cyril. “It came from over here.”

The cleric followed the cyclops to the side of the alcove where a fissure in the rock became evident.

“I never spotted this earlier,” said Cyril. “It’s an opening into another part of the mountain.”

Vera held her staff closer to the opening to shed more light on the crack. “I wonder where it leads.”

The cyclops and cleric looked at each other in anticipation.

“Do you want to check it out?” asked Vera.

“Sure!” said Cyril. “I think I can just squeeze through there. I’ll go first.”

“I’ll follow you,” said Vera.

The cyclops squished through the opening and Vera followed. It was a struggle to get through the tunnel, but they doggedly continued. A short while later, they ended up in a small cavern that was just big enough to accommodate both of them if they stood close together.

“Now what?” panted Cyril, who was glad to be able to stretch to his full height.

Another echo interrupted their thoughts.

“Something is just beyond the wall,” said Vera. “I can’t see any openings, but maybe if I put out my staff’s light we can see light beyond through a hole or something.”

“I don’t know,” muttered Cyril. His breath was hot against Vera’s head.

Vera grinned and knew what the cyclops was thinking. Without debating the point, she put out the staff light.

A long tense pause was followed by a sudden twitch in the cyclops’ arm. “Wait! I see something!”

“What is it?” asked Vera. She could see nothing but blackness.

“You were right!” exclaimed Cyril. “There is a hole!”

“Can you see through it?” asked Vera.

“I - you’re in the way,” said Cyril apologetically.

Vera tried to move over but couldn’t. “Do you have room on your left side?”

Cyril moved and twisted. “Not really.”

“Maybe I can slide over here,” said Vera. A sudden movement followed some pushing and shoving and Vera’s voice came from somewhere below the cyclops. “How’s that? Can you look through the hole now?”

Cyril was glad it was dark in there. “Let me see.” He twisted to his left and peered into the source of the light. “I see something!”

“What is it?” asked Vera. The echoes could be heard again.

Cyril did not respond. His eye widened at what he saw. A number of ogres had gathered in a large cavern. One stood on a platform speaking to the gathered throng. He wore black gloves and held a wineskin in one hand. As he spoke, he pointed repeatedly to the wineskin. His voice was faint, but as Cyril watched, he could make out the odd word that the ogre spoke. Every so often the throng would react and that’s when the echo could be heard where Vera and Cyril stood.

“Well, what is it?” demanded Vera. “I’m getting cramped down here.”

“It’s a bunch of ogres,” said Cyril. “They’re talking about a wineskin. It looks like they want to fight for the wine in the wineskin. Maybe they found a stash of dwarven spirits or something. They just went to get - wait a minute! They’ve captured a lizardman! The lizardman is dressed in some sort of armor. He looks like a guard or something!”

“A lizardman!” exclaimed Vera. “Good for the ogres!”

“They’re taking him on stage,” continued Cyril. “They’re jeering and throwing things at him!”

The echoes were again noticeable.

“The head ogre is drawing his short sword!” exclaimed Cyril. “He’s going to - ugh!” He turned his eye away.

“What is it?” asked Vera.

“They just slit his throat,” spat Cyril distastefully.

“Good for them,” said Vera coldly.

Cyril was shocked by her tone. “Not for the lizardman.”

“There are plenty more where they came from,” said Vera.

Cyril sighed. “You have no compassion for lizardmen, do you?”

“No,” answered Vera. “Lizardmen and humans have always hated one another. That’s not about to change.”

“How do you know that this lizardman was evil?” asked the Cyclops.

“They all are,” said Vera.

“Just like all cyclops are evil?” said Cyril slyly.

There was a pause before Vera answered. “That’s different. You’re part human.”

Cyril didn’t answer.

“What’s happening now?” Vera asked quickly, changing the subject. The echoes were getting louder.

Cyril looked through the hole again and focused on the proceedings once again. The ogres had hacked the lizardman into pieces and their leader had his sword raised over his head. He yelled several commands. With a roar, the entire assembly charged from the cavern into a tunnel and disappeared from sight, leaving the fragmented remains of the lizardman in a bloody pulp on the floor.

“They just left,” said Cyril. “They looked like they were on the warpath. A battle is probably going to take place. It won’t be a pretty sight, either.”