Chapter 6 Part 9

As the horses disappeared in the distance, two of the nearby trees shimmered and vanished to reveal the missing mage and druid. "Your illusion worked quite well, Armegon," Marlena said.

"And your forest friends played their parts equally well," Armegon returned.

"We've bought some time," Marlena admitted. "Nothing more."

"That may be all we need," Armegon hoped eyeing the nearby cliffs. They were close enough to see individual trees and crevasses. "If we can get up into those rocks, we may be able to escape. Their horses will do them no good there. At the very least, we will be able to maintain our distance and a periodic rock slide here and there will slow them even more."

"I wouldn't dream of stopping you. You heard the conversation as well as I. Tyson has betrayed us just like the Oracle said." Marlena cursed.

"He'll get his," Armegon promised.

Armegon and Marlena ran on. They dodged around several growths pausing only long enough for Marlena to cover their tracks with new growth or for her to convince some wildlife to cut a false trail. They slowed only when they could run no more and then they continued to walk.

They moved on throughout the day. Several times, they heard the sounds of hooves galloping nearby. A quick hide and absolute silence usually served to elude the hunters. On one occasion, a catlike creature was being used to track by scent. But Marlena solved the problem by fast growing some catnip plants on their trail and later on convincing a skunk to cover their passage.

By late afternoon, they had not heard any signs of pursuit for over an hour when the terrain began to climb gently. Armegon and Marlena paused one last time before finishing their marathon. As they sat in silence trying to catch their breath, a neigh and the sounds of hooves walking nearby sent them scampering towards the cliffs.

Because the woods were thicker there the branches slapped painfully at them, still they ran blindly onward. Hand in hand, they stumbled forward until they broke out into the open at the base of the cliff. Armegon let go Marlena's hand and put Seymore's body on the ground. He stared up at the vertical rise.

"There is no way we can scale that without equipment," Armegon announced with a sense of defeat.

"Can't you teleport us up there?" Marlena asked while glancing nervously back into the woods from where the sounds grew louder.

"Yes, but the spell that preserves Seymore impedes magic. Do you want to leave him behind?"

Marlena gave no answer. One was not required. Neither of them were about to abandon Seymore; they had lost too many friends already. "Well what do we do?"

Armegon turned his back to the cliff and faced the forest. He set his feet firmly and pulled his sword from the scabbard strapped across his back. The keen blade was a saber that glittered as it glowed a soft white. Armegon stabbed the blade into the ground with the hilt about waist high near his left hand. Then he unslung the bag where he kept all his spell components. He opened the flap and rested his right hand inside. "I guess this is it," he said. "I am going to make them pay a high price for my head."

Marlena nodded in acceptance. Then she took up a position at his right. "Let's get 'em!"

"Marlena," Armegon said as he watched the trees, "If you see a chance to escape, take Seymore and run for it." Marlena did not want to abandon her last living friend, but for Seymore's sake she agreed.

"Come now boys," Armegon yelled out into the woods to the unseen enemy. "If you want my head you will pay handsomely for it!"

"Your head and the word 'handsome' should never be used in the same breath," returned a familiar voice. "Because your head is not worth that much."

Suddenly, Marlena was running with renewed strength towards the thicket as Samson emerged flanked by Norwind and Keeneye. Ultrecht brought up the rear. Marlena flung herself into the arms of Samson who had dismounted and ran out to greet her with equal enthusiasm.

"Oh, how I've missed you," she told him. Samson wrapped her in his arms.

"And you will never know how I really missed you."

Marlena smiled. "Oh, Sam," she purred. "Take me back to our little cabin in the woods." Samson heart staggered in shock. 'Sam' was the name she had called him as his wife and the 'little cabin in the woods' was a small shack in a glade less than five miles from his mansion where they had retreated to for romantic interludes on numerous occasions.

Marlena looked deeply into Samson's eyes. "Yes, Sam, I remember now." She took his hand. "I'll never forget again."

Samson hugged her closely. His joy was apparent to everyone and no one made any attempt to interrupt.

"Now I guess I will have to find another reason to be nasty to Avery," he laughed. Marlena's smile vanished. Samson instantly understood. "No," he said in denial. "Not him too."

"How did that happen?" Keeneye asked in horror.

As Marlena clung protectively in Samson's arms, Armegon filled the others in on their adventures including Avery's disappearance in the storm, the assassination attempt and Tyson's betrayal.

"Someone has a lot to answer for," Norwind observed. There was no humor in his voice.

"Agreed," Armegon said. "And I hate to break up a party, but we have been chased for the last week and are still not safe."

"I recommend we travel north," Keeneye said as he readjusted the luggage on the two pack horses to make room for riders. "We just came up from the south and there is some kind of manhunt going on there for a couple in a wagon. We thought nothing of it, but with Avery gone and Tyson against us, you two fit the description quite well."

"Fine, then, we go north," Ultrecht agreed urging his mount into motion.

"So tell us of your adventures, Sam," Marlena asked. "Tyson told us that you were all dead."

"Oh he did, did he?" Samson grinned. "Well after you, Avery, Armegon and Tyson were trapped in that side tunnel..."

"We thought Tyson was with you," Marlena interjected.

"Apparently, he has been involved in this treachery for some time," Keeneye observed.

"I think I shall have a long talk with Mr. Tyson just before I turn him inside out," Armegon mumbled as he adjusted the straps holding Seymore in place.

"After the cave-in..." Samson continued. He outlined their journey through the mine highlighting his battle where he single handedly slew seventy-two morhulks. Also the battle with the troglodytes where Norwind was given appropriate credit. The tale of their comfortable trip across the desert and Norwind's bedtime adventure increased spirits dramatically.

"She was really that ugly?" Marlena asked Norwind.

"No," Keeneye interrupted. "He was really that ugly."

"He?!" Norwind had not mentioned that part to anyone.

"You had better come clean," advised Samson. "Or you had better not sleep tonight."

Keeneye related the story of how he had wakened Norwind's lover and then hired a street bum to put on a wig and take the girl's place in Norwind's bed. Norwind responded with a sigh of relief, followed by a treat of vengeance and finally a barely concealed bout of laughter of his own.

Armegon had to remind everyone to hold it down as they were still being followed and that one of their enemy knew their ways very well. Samson continued his narration of their arrival at the southern border of the desert. At that point, Norwind stole a chance to pester Armegon about his name. Armegon accepted the jest in good nature and Samson continued.

"So there we are riding along next to a rock outcropping with someone waiting for us ahead." Samson's recount of the ambush was told in storybook fashion. "When the attack finally came, we were ready for them. Master Ultrecht, here," Samson gestured melodramatically, "challenged their magic user to a contest of spells while the rest of us took on the whole regiment."

"There are some forms of magic I would like to study here," Ultrecht noted to Armegon. "This magic user that they had was pulling some pretty quick spells in a streamlined fashion. I think he had a more direct power tap than we use."

"How did you beat him," Armegon asked. "Well, even with a direct power tap, he did not have an elemental focus or a sorcerer’s direction. Either one of us could have taken him out. Although, I am not sure if Tyson could have and I know Avery would have lost."

"Meanwhile," Keeneye interrupted. "We were fighting it out on foot against cavalry. We were outnumbered quite well and it was all we could do to stay alive. Finally, we began to retreat back towards where Ultrecht had gone. When all of a sudden, I tripped over a body. I got back up and looked at the corpse. You can imagine my surprise when the corpse had my face on it." Keeneye laughed. "Come to find out, Master Ultrecht, here zapped their three most powerful warriors with illusions making them look like us. I also noticed that I had become invisible. So we escaped and they took the three disguised bodies back with them. That bought us enough time to elude the enemy."

“There was another tricky moment there,” Ultrecht interjected. “I had to hit Samson with a magic dispelation charge. I can tell you that Libra didn’t like that at all and gave me a feedback jolt that I would rather not experience again. It didn’t break the sword’s power, but it did snap Samson back to sanity. Then I was able to hide him as well.”

Keeneye finished his tale as they rode. While he spoke Marlena called down a lark from a nearby tree and sent it on a spying mission. A while later, it fluttered to her arm with a partially lame wing. After a brief conversation with the creature, Marlena explained to her companions that Tyson was leading a band of assassins less than an hour behind them and that the bird had been shot as Tyson knew it was a spy.

A quick conference as to what they should do yielded a decision to move back into the forest where Marlena's druidic abilities could be brought to bear. Marlena healed the lark with a wave of her hand and acknowledged that she felt strong enough to raise the forces of nature in their defense. With that decision, Keeneye notched an arrow and led them into the woods.