Chapter 3 Part 6

The moons' light were filtering eerily through the trees. Avery's expert ears detected the sounds of the wild that indicated that there was a stranger in the vicinity. He scented the wind and his ranger's sense gave him Sam's general direction of travel. The half elf walked into the forest.

Sam walked carelessly for a few moments. He and Calista had been actively engaged in each other's passion earlier and he was feeling content and serene. He had decided to take an evening walk to clear his thoughts and practice his skills that Tyson had taught him. He missed his friend.

Yes, Tyson had been more than just a teacher or a mentor, he had been Sam's friend. He had been Sam's only friend. Well, there had been Rida, the dryad, but she was only there at her tree. Tyson had played the hunting games with him. He had taught Sam to stalk. He had taught Sam so much. And now he was gone all because of Avery.

If Avery had never shown up then Tyson would still be with them. For the first time, the desire to do the ranger harm entered Sam's mind. Sam held his staff forward as if preparing to do battle. He gave it a hard swing and felt the comforting power of its weight. He spun with it in a fake parry and found him face to face with his imaginary foe.

Avery leaned against a tree. "That is a good swing," he commented. "I hope you don't need it too often, but if you do, I think it’ll do the job."

"Tyson taught it to me," Sam said with a hint of challenge.

"Tyson’s one of the best monks I ever met," Avery said. "I’m sure that he taught you well."

"He taught me well enough to stalk and ambush," Sam came back. The challenge in his voice was now clear.

"To stalk in the wild is not something a monk can teach adequately," Avery warned. "Tyson's techniques are probably more than adequate in a populated or urban area, but out here things are different."

"Oh?" Sam sneered. "I think what I know is more than adequate to take out a mark." Avery frowned at the use of the word, 'mark'. That was a word used by assassins or thieves.

"Listen, Sam, I’m not here to argue with you. I thought that we might talk a little and get to know each other better." He drew his cloak around him more closely against the chill of the night. "If you really want to learn how to track and evade in the wild, I’ll be happy to teach you."

"Ha," Sam laughed. "First you have to convince me that my skills are not good enough right now."

Avery looked skyward and sighed. "Okay," he conceded. "I can see that you’re not going to be happy until you see for yourself that you don't know as much as you think you do. How do you want to do this?"

Sam smiled slyly. "You go back to the cottage," he explained. "When you reach the door, you can start trying to find me. When you give up just call out." Avery gazed at Sam momentarily then agreed. He turned and began to walk to the cabin.

Sam shadowed him silently for half the distance then he turned aside to circumvent the open compound. Sam watched from a thicket as Avery walked up to the door and sat on the step for a few moments. Such arrogance, he thought to himself. Avery was giving him a head start.

Sam retreated to a point where neither the cabin nor the clearing was visible. Using his night born senses, he became aware of the life filled environment surrounding him. Soundlessly he moved through the night with the grace of a beast of prey. He laid false trails and booby traps to confuse Avery. He had a plan.

Sam took up his position. He was going to teach the half elf a lesson in humility. He had a trap set up to release a bent branch from its hold when Avery stepped on the trigger vine. The limb was a good three inches in diameter and would certainly knock the breath out of the ranger if not break a rib or two in the process.

For good measure, Sam was perched on a low branch nearby and within easy striking distance of the target spot. If Avery got that far, the trap would hit his midsection and Sam would brain him with his staff at the same time. If the ranger was injured, he could claim it as an accident.

Sam waited. He scanned the darkness with his eyes and ears. The wind was gently blowing from the direction of the cabin, and the scent of the mutton and wine that Avery had been partaking of earlier was varying in strength indicating the source was moving about in the forest.

After what seemed like an hour, Sam caught the subtle sounds of motion back along his false trail. He permitted himself a smile of satisfaction. The fool was good, very good, but for all his skill he did not posses the blood of a wild creature to enhance his ability.

Sam was duly impressed. The sounds were drawing nearer, but the source was very patient and quiet. Sam was certain that against a human or even another elf, Avery would emerge the victor. If nothing else, Sam would give him that.

Suddenly a figure emerged from the darkness. It was very low to the ground apparently examining the tracks. Sam heard a faint sniffing sound. He suspected at their first meeting that Avery had some ability to detect scent. Most humanoids depended too heavily on sight to trust their other senses.

As the figure drew close, Sam spotted a flaw in his plan. Crawling so low to the ground, Avery would be too low for his spring loaded limb to hit him. He had to improvise, because the figure was also too low for him to hit with his staff.

Quietly Sam shifted his position. As the figure passed under him, and the trap was tripped, Sam would launch himself down onto his victim. The noise of the trap would serve as a distraction.

Slowly the shape approached the trap. Closer it came until it was almost directly beneath him. One more step and......Now!

The trap sprang. The limb swung over the target's head and Sam dove head first into combat swinging his staff in a low arc. About half way to the ground, Sam felt a jerk on his feet. The world wheeled about his head and he found himself hanging upside down by his feet. Looking upwards, he saw Avery sitting on a limb above where he had been sitting.

The ranger had tied a rope about Sam's feet without Sam ever knowing it. He had sat over Sam's head the whole time watching the scene played out below.

Sam glanced down to the ground to see just what it was that he had stalked and ambushed. His gaze fell upon a rather large and agitated creature with four legs a long bushy tail, dark fur and a single light colored stripe running the length of its back. The creature was turned facing away from Sam, and it was at this time that Sam realized that his sense of smell was overwhelmed by a foul musky odor.

He fixed his gaze back on the ranger. Humiliated and angry he demanded to be released. "Well, Sam, let me be the first to say that I am impressed with how much you really do know, but as you can see," and he grinned, "and smell, your skills proved inadequate tonight. Think on this: had this been for real, you would now be dead."

And with that Avery cut Sam loose. Sam hit the dirt and scrambled to untangle himself. He found Avery's cloak on the ground. Apparently he had tied it to the skunk as a decoy. The darkness and the tufts of foliage wrapped inside the cloak combined to make the skunk look about the size of a crawling man without making the cloak too heavy for it to drag about.

"When you are ready to learn more about tracking and evading," Avery said with a stern tone, "I’m ready to teach you." He dropped from the tree and retrieved his cloak as Sam untangled his feet. "By the way, there’s a pail of sweet water in the shack by the cabin that will remove the smell," he advised. "Clean up before coming back inside or Nikki will have both our hides."

Sam gritted his teeth and kicked furiously to free his feet. When he looked up again, Avery was gone. Not only was he gone, but there was no trace that he had ever been there at all.

Sam made his way angrily back to the compound. He went to the shed and removed his clothes and washed the musk from his body. He put on the long night shirt that someone, apparently Avery, had left for him and made his way back to the cabin. When he entered, he saw Avery sitting in the rocking chair staring into the glowing coals. The amber eyes seemed to glow in the faint light.

Sam started to say something, but decided against it, and simply went to the old room and crawled into the hammock with Calista. She fidgeted slightly and then snuggled closer to him. Her bare skin pressed up against his bare arm and he kissed her softly. She opened her eyes and smiled. He returned the smile. She unfastened his night shirt and slipped her arms inside drawing him closer in the process. He responded by nuzzling her neck. Calista's eyes fluttered and she frowned. Then she gave him a light kick and rolled over turning her back to him. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. "You stink," she told him.

The next morning, Sam awoke to the smell of hotcakes and sausage. He eased out of his hammock so as not to awaken Calista. Then he redressed in the nightshirt--he had left his clothes in the shack where he had washed last night. His sense of smell was functioning again and he could detect the slight odor of the skunk's musk. Apparently he had not washed as thoroughly as he had thought.

When he was dressed he quietly opened the door and moved to the common room. Nikki was cooking at the fireplace. She was dressed in a cotton gown that clung suggestively to certain parts of her body. The view made Sam consider returning to the bedroom and getting back in bed with Calista.

The main door opened and Avery entered carrying an armload of firewood. He was dressed in the same fashion of clothes Sam had always seen him in. It was almost as if he never changed clothes, but his sense of smell told Sam that these clothes were clean.

Sam walked over to the fire and warmed his hands. "Good morning, Sam," Nikki greeted him. Avery greeted him also and his voice betrayed no irritation from last night's encounter.

"I hope it’ll be a nice day," Sam returned. "I intend to learn a lot about tracking and evading this day," Sam said watching Avery for some sign of anger or discord. He was relieved to see a slight smile as the ranger dropped the wood in the fire pit.

Nikki leaned closer to Sam as Avery went back outside. "Do not let him fool you," she advised playfully. "He came to bed last night happier than I have seen him in a long time. He thoroughly enjoyed your ambush. He even commented that you had a natural talent and he believes you could be the best ranger in the world if you are willing to learn."

Sam was glad to hear that. He was sorry he had treated Avery so badly. He did not know what had come over him. "Thank you," he returned to Nikki. "I was afraid he was mad at me."

"No one is mad at you," Nikki assured him. "But they may soon be if you do not go take a bath." She reached for a bucket that was sitting next to the fire pit. "I have warmed this up for you," she said. It is stronger than the solution you used last night. I also soaked your clothes this morning and left them drying in the shack. They should be about ready for you to wear, except for your socks," she added. "I have set them aside to mend the holes you have worn in the heels."

Sam took the bucket. "Thank you Nikki," he said.

"You are welcome," she replied. "Now get cleaned and dressed. Then come back and we can talk. If I am going to help you to live longer, I need to know a few things and you are going to have to help me with them."

Sam took the bucket and hurried outside. The morning was brisk and there was a slight breeze blowing through the pines and oaks that made up most of the woods about the compound. Sam trotted to the shack where he found a fire in the furnace.

On a rack before the fire was his clothes. They were almost dry. He set about cleaning himself. He thought of how skillfully Avery had tracked him and how while he had been setting up a trap for Avery, he had himself fallen into the ranger's trap. Sam felt a little ashamed that he had actually wanted to harm the ranger. There was no reason to do that.

Sam finished washing up and began dressing. He thought of how he had treated Avery over the last week or so. It wasn't Avery's fault that Tyson was gone. Or was it? Tyson had been his friend. He had taught Sam how to fight hand to hand combat. Avery had resorted to trickery and had not even had the gumption to face Sam at all.

Tyson had fled because Armegon and Ultrecht would turn against him if Avery claimed that he had lied to them. Tyson, his friend had been driven away because of Avery. Sam felt the anger rising up again. Tyson and he had been close. Tyson had even claimed that Sam had the skill to be a monk himself. He had given Sam the dragon buckle as a token of their friendship. Now Avery had come in and destroyed that.

Sam finished dressing and left the shack. He saw Avery cutting wood nearby. Avery waved and smiled at him. Sam ignored the action and went inside. There he had a quick breakfast and talked with Nikki about his early friendship with the dryad, Rida.

After a while Ultrecht came in and poured himself a cup of some bitter smelling brew. He sat and listened for a few moments then excused himself and returned to the other room. Nikki and Sam watched the spectacle in silence, then they joined each other in laughter as he closed the door behind him.

"Sam," Nikki suggested, "perhaps you should go see if Avery will show you how to track by thought? We can talk more later."

Sam looked at her then nodded. "I might as well see what that arrogant bastard knows," he muttered. He exited the house leaving a shocked elven woman in his wake.

Nikki frowned and turned back to her cooking. She poured a few more cakes on the griddle and cooked them up. She was deep in thought when Calista exited from the old room. "Calista, dear," Nikki greeted her worriedly. "I need you to tell me something."

Calista sat next to the fire and warmed her feet and hands. "Yes?"

"Has Sam been having any problems lately?"

"Such as?"

"Such as the kind of problem that might give him radical mood swings?"

Calista dropped her gaze. "I didn't want to say anything," she said regretfully, "but recently our love has been like a seesaw. One time it is slow, tender and beautiful, and the next time it is savage and full of hatred. I don't know what I’ve done to him," she sobbed, and Nikki took the girl in a comforting embrace.

Calista broke down then and explained how ever since the trial, Sam has been extremely unstable. "I think it’s because he really doesn't love me and he wants to leave me behind," she cried.

"I do not think so," Nikki assured her. "Women are a little more sensitive than men about these things, so it is not the men's fault that they have missed it, but I think Sam is under a spell of some kind."

Calista looked into the smaller woman's eyes with tears of hope. "Are you sure?"

Nikki smiled. "No, but I think you had better tell Armegon and Ultrecht." She released Calista and headed for the door. "I will get Avery to keep an eye on Sam."

Sam walked arrogantly from the cabin. Avery again waved and this time Sam approached the ranger with a smile. "Well, old man," he said. "Are you ready to try that trick from last night again?" Sam hefted his staff and flipped it end over end. He caught it in mid air and took a playful swing with it.

Avery frowned. "I thought you were ready to learn today," he said.

"I am," Sam said. "But night and day are two different times. First you must show me that you can beat me during the day. Then I’ll listen to what you have to say." With that, Sam bolted into the brush.

Avery watched him go. Some kids never learn. Avery walked back to the cabin. Nikki met him halfway. She told him of her suspicion. "Calista is waking the others," she said.

Avery looked over his shoulder at the forest. "You tell them what has happened," he said. "I'll get the boy."

Nikki turned and sprinted back to the cabin. She opened the door and took one last look where she and Avery had been standing. No one was there. She closed the door behind her and went to tell Armegon and Ultrecht what she knew. Avery would find Sam. Of that there was no doubt. She hoped he would find the boy before it was too late.

Calista ran to the spare room and slammed open the door. The resulting noise sent Armegon and Ultrecht both scrambling for clothes and weapons. When they saw who it was, Armegon broke the silence. "Dammit girl," he bellowed, "don't do that! You could have gotten yourself killed by running in here like that. One of us might have blasted you to..."

"Sam's in trouble," Calista said loudly enough to veto Armegon's protest. Instantly the two mages were on their feet and running into the common room.

"What's going on," Armegon demanded.

Nikki voiced her suspicion that Sam's mood swings might be the result of a charm that has been placed on him. "Last night he and Avery had a contest in the forest and Avery humiliated him greatly. This morning Sam was very agreeable and polite. Then about half an hour ago, he was acting in a manner that was completely inconsistent with his attitude this morning."

Calista, with Nikki's encouraging, also recounted their private relationship, and with the clues pointed out for them, the two mages agreed that Sam might be in danger.