Flash Fiction #669 -- Forgotten/3

 Cita had no idea what they would do next. As the supposed leader of the small troupe, she thought she ought to make an important decision now. 

Instead, she watched as Tennon walked to the skeleton and leaned down to gently touch the skull.  He jumped backward when the mouth popped open, showing dagger-like teeth.

A piece of green cloth was caught on one of the teeth.  Tennon reached in and pulled it out.

"Smart dragon," he mumbled as he crumpled the cloth in his hand. He looked at the others. "This is our link to Forlyn, or at least the one who took his stone. This will not be an easy journey, and even with this cloth, I can't tell what we will find.  I only know which way the person wearing this cloth went."

"Person?" Urdo asked.

Tennon held up the cloth.  "This is the bottom half of a sleeve.  It seems at least human-like.  Not fae as far as I can sense, but the person must have power."

"Or powerful companions," Atora said.  "Or both."

"Both," Tennon agreed.  He looked past the dragon to an archway and a staircase that appeared to go downward for a long distance. Tennon crossed to look down and frowned when the other three joined him.  "This is more danger. You should go back now.  I can get you there."

"And we wait to see if you win?" Atora asked.  "What happens if you don't win?"

"Forces that have tried for eons will finally break through and raid this realm. The gate is weaker now, but if I fall, so does the magic that holds the destruction back. You might do better by being there to help."

The entire world seemed to take a shuddering breath, the air itself trembling.

"I am going with you," Cita said. 

All four headed downward, although she thought Urdo mumbled a few curses. She couldn't quite hear what he said, so she couldn't decide if she agreed.

A few steps later, Tennon stopped and nodded at Urdo.

"You are right. We have had no discussion about either time or distance. My offer to send you back at any time will always stand–– as long as I do. You might be wise to consider your choices before we go into battle rather than during it."

"And we are likely to have a battle, aren't we?" Cita asked as he started downward again. She still couldn't see the landscape at the bottom of the stairs. In fact, she couldn't see the bottom of the stairs, which seemed to be lost in a cloudy mist.

"You have fallen into an ancient war that has waged ever since the beginning of time. There have been battles that have included everything from Ragnarok to D-Day. We are more likely to find ourselves in a skirmish rather than anything large, but that doesn't make it any less important, especially if we find the ones who took Farlyn's essence."

That seemed a wise thing to tell them, and Cita kept whatever question she had to herself this time. Urdo seemed content with the answer, and since he was their only true warrior, Cita accepted his reaction. She never quite decided what Atora wanted and decided now wasn't the time to ask.

So they kept going right down to the edge of the mist, where the tenant finally stopped and sat down on the stairs. They were all worn by now, and none of them was in a good mood. Even Tennon snarled at the wispy clouds below them. Atora drew out some bread and cheese from her supplies and passed pieces of it around to everyone. That improved the mood of the group.

At least right until something yowled in the mist below them. Tennon snarled in a way that made him look far from human. No one had ever asked the questions. Tennon stood and shot lightning into the heart of the cloud. With no warning, they were in a battle.

Things came out of the clouds. Small, annoying creatures, easy to bat away, formed the first wave. Cita soon realized they were an intentional distraction. She was the first to see these long-winged dark creatures emerge from the misty cloud.  

All ten of them went for Tennon before she could shout a warning.

(continued)

 

Flash Fiction #668 --Forgotten/2

 

Tennon had stopped them at the last easy part of the journey. After that, they fought through bracken, weeds, and saplings, moving closer to the river. Cita thought she could hear water rushing through rapids. Were they going to cross the river? Why not when it had been less turbulent?

Cita wanted to ask questions -- many questions.  However, she feared trespassing into areas that Tennon didn't want to discuss, and she didn't want to push that line.  Surprisingly, even Urdo held his peace for a change. In fact, he looked pleased, even while the roar of the river grew louder.  

They stepped out of the trees at the base of a gigantic bridge that led straight through the heart of a massive waterfall. Cita could not see through the water and mist to the other side, but she had the feeling of a building gathering shadows around it and hiding from the world. The distance and the river made it impossible to make out any details, though.

"He should have started across to meet us," Tennon said. Cita caught a hint of desperation in his face, but he quickly buried that emotion.  "I sense nothing beyond the gateway."
"Gateway?" Atora asked with a growing expression of distrust.

"Between here and the realm of the gods," Tennon answered, paying no attention to her worry.

Cita didn't like that answer any more than the rest of her companions did -- however, she had no intention of pushing for more information. The other two fell silent as well.

Tennon turned to her and started to speak.  He even changed his mind.

"Let's go, then," Tennon said.  He stepped toward the bridge. "The fae built this. It is not as straightforward as it seems."

Cita had never dealt with anything fae-related, of course. Until a few heartbeats ago, she thought they were nothing more than tales for children.

Cita didn't like walking into the mist, even with Tennon and his magic at her side. The white stone surface melded into the water ... but the thunder of the falling river muted to a slight whisper. Cita didn't feel better for it. Cita didn't feel safer walking beside Tennoon. She had no idea of his abilities or his limitations. She wasn't even sure what he might be beneath that human facade.  Was now the time to mistrust him?

Cita turned to Urdo -- but he wasn't there. Neither was Atora --

Tennon grabbed her arm just as she started to panic and head back to find them..

"I have them. They are safe."  He gave Cita a slight shake.  "Be calm.  Trust me.  We are almost there."

As far as she could tell, they were nowhere. Her friends were gone, and she was lost.

"I cannot say this again: trust me."

Cannot?
    
Trust him or go off on her own?  Cita was not that stupid.

"I trust you." Just not as much as he might want.

Cita realized she had passed a test. Tennon looked both relieved and pleased. He still held her arm, but it felt more like camaraderie rather than command.

Like she belonged.

They broke out of the mist and stepped onto an open balcony that seemed more like a temple. The skeleton of a mid-sized dragon lay stretched out across the floor.

Tennon faltered, and Cita caught him.

"No," he whispered.  "It can't be --" Then he stopped and nodded, the fear of a moment ago, gone. "Of course it is not true. He isn't dead."

"He's a skeleton," Urdo pointed out.

"When dragons die, they disappear. And I would have known.  His Stone of Being is gone.  It is a palm-sized Ruby that sat in the middle of his forehead.  Forlyn isn't dead, but he will be hard to find."

(continued)

Flash Fiction #667 -- Forgotten/1

 

"There is a problem ahead," the boy said as he looked back, startling his three companions.

It wasn't what he said that startled them. There had been trouble ahead for the entire month-long journey.  It was that their companion spoke at all that unsettled the three. He'd said nothing when he joined them at the edge of the village until now.

Not an auspicious start to their first conversation, Cita thought. She was the leader of the expedition, but she had never gotten used to being in command.

"Priest," she addressed him because that was what they'd decided he must be, despite his young age. She shaped her words carefully. It was best not to anger the servant of some god. Then she looked back at him and threw caution to the wind. "Boy, is there anything helpful you can tell us?"

He met her look, grave as ever.  "Never take in a priest without knowing what they're after."

Silence filled the area, except for the rush of the river they had followed far into the unknown mountains. Urdo and Atora were doing their best imitations of being nothing at all.  There would be no help there.    

Cita glimpsed humor in the priest's eyes.  "You have been waiting to say that for a long time, haven't you?" she asked.

"You have no idea how long." He pushed back his hood, showing his long, braided hair for the first time.  "Sit down.  Now that we are this close, we need to talk."

"Since it is too late to go back?" Urdo demanded, dour as ever.

The priest looked around.  "I see no one stopping you."

Urdo frowned but settled on some grass, resting on his elbow as he stretched out.  He even looked intrigued.  So did Artura as she sat on a log by Cita.

"I am Tennon," the boy said as he sat cross-legged in the grass near Urdo.  "I am a Guide of Orantis -- which means I lead the worthy through the dangers on the last part of the journey."

"Orantis is a very old god," Urdo complained.

"They all are," Atora countered.

"Worthy?" Cita asked, hoping to cut their conversation short.  "We aren't members of your temple or followers of your god, or any of the Old Ones."

"Worthy," he repeated, and seemed to look for the right words.  "That is a state of mind. You have come this far without arguments or talk of glory and a dragon horde to plunder.  Rather, you look for forgotten stories to go with your legends.  None of you is looking for riches: you want to find truths."

"I am hoping for both," Urdo admitted and won a grin from Tennon.  "But say you are right about why we are here.  What is your place in this group?"

"Guide," he repeated as he stood.  "And guardian."

"A Guardian against what?" Cita asked.

"Other legends." He lifted his hand and traced a glowing symbol in the air. Somewhere in the woods nearby, a creature howled and hissed.  The other three were instantly on their feet.  "Yes, time to go.  This way."

The symbol moved, lighting their path with a silvery glow.  Large things moved around them, but nothing came into the light.  Cita wondered if they were now over the line and couldn't go home.  Urdo wasn't the only one who kept looking back.

Tennon led the way. He somehow had taken over the group in those few words he had spoken. Cita thought to complain, but that idea passed quickly.  Tennon at least seemed to know where to go -- and he had magic.

Magic.  No one had seen such powers in this part of the world for a few generations. Then this boy brings it back with a simple wave of his hand, and acts as though this is normal. Cita forced herself to look away from the magic symbol and at Tennon instead.

"Why are you a guide and guardian?" she asked.

He glanced at her and away.  "No one asked that.  It was my assigned duty, and an important one in the days when the pilgrims still came."

A long time ago, she thought.

"The gods fought a long war. They forgot us. I am not the only one."

(continued)

Flash Fiction #666 -- Hel To Pay

 Toby, the farm dog, called the goats to him. They complained about leaving their feed, but Toby didn't care. This would be over quickly. He made certain Helen, the barn cat, handled the sheep nearby. Many farm animals respected the fiery little cat and her many sharp claws.

"I am going to be gone for a few days. You will behave." They made sounds of protest. Nearby, the sheep bleated in distress as the cat yowled. "If not … There will be Hel to pay."

They looked at the cat and went quietly to their food. There would be no trouble.

Flash Fiction #665 -- Chicken!

 

"What are you staring at, Tommy Cat?" Patches pushed her way to the hole in the fence, displacing her large and lazy cousin. "Chickens. Boring."

"Baby chicken," Tommy corrected. "It wouldn't take much to catch a couple paws full."

"The hens would kill you."

Tommy climbed over the fence and found chicks racing toward him.

"New friend play!"

Patches laughed from beyond the fence. By the time the hens arrived, Tommy was covered in chicks. Tommy turned out to be an excellent guard for his new friends, chasing off hawks and rodents. The farmer noticed and gave him better food.