Flash Fiction #673 -- Forgotten/7

 

Mounds of dirt grew into small hills covered in rock and the sharp-edged stubble of long-dead plants. Cita could see no clear path, but Tennon pressed onward to higher hills.  Soon, they all had cuts on their legs and hands.

Atora had walked with Tennon for a few miles, but now she slowed until she was at the end of the line with Cita. They continued in silence for a while, but Cita thought her companion looked bothered.

"Is there something wrong?" Cita asked and then gave a slight laugh.  "Other than the obvious."

Atora looked amused.  "Tennon knows what he is doing."

"It is good to know one of us does."

Atora's face grew somber again.  "I don't want to fail.  That's all."

Before Cita could reply, Atora moved off to join Urdo for a while.

Was she making her farewells?  This coming battle would be the worst they had fought so far.  Some of them might not survive.  Cita wondered if she should do the same and apologize for bringing them here.

No. They could have walked away many times, even before Tennon suggested it. Now, with that green light shining brighter, it was not the time to abandon the work.

They walked on.  Closer.  Tennon looked back at them, but he said nothing.  She had expected one more attempt to dissuade them, but maybe it was too late. Cita began to hear a high-pitched buzzing noise, but it did not come from the crystal orb that held the stone. That multi-faceted ball hovered over a black pedestal, and Cita had the impression of invisible chains holding it there.

The area was barren except for the crystal and stand, and piles of dark rocks that might have marked some boundary. Atora and Urdo crossed to the display, but a flicker of lightning played along an invisible wall that held them from getting any closer.

The buzzing got louder, and something the size of her hand swept in front of her face.  Another followed.

Giant bees.

She swept one aside and down and prepared to slice it in half. 

Tennon caught her arm.  "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, maybe you could turn it to our enemies rather than allies."

She pulled back in haste. That's when she noticed the piles of rocks coming to life.  They faced rock trolls, and the giant bees were already in battle with them.

Urdo moved to her side, and they had downed two trolls before she realized that neither Atora nor Tennon was helping.  Tennon put his hands on the magic wall and destroyed it, and then quickly did the same to the crystal covering. Atora grabbed the stone as it tumbled. 

"Go!" Tennon shouted.

Atora started out at a run, the wave of Tennon's hand Center up into the air and flying. She not only moved quickly, but she was also soon out of reach of the rock trolls.

If those rock trolls hadn't then turned on Cita and Urdo, she might have watched with delight. Atora looked as if she might have been born to fly.

Tennon, she saw, was face down on the ground and in danger of being trampled. She still had questions for the Godling, so she went to stand over and protect him. Urdo, as always, kept to her side and fought off two trolls. It was hard to battle rock with metal, but they both slashed at vulnerable spots around the joints.

Eventually, trolls began to fall. Unfortunately, Urdo and Cita had both suffered from serious injuries by then. Their only hope came when Tennon struggled back to his feet with the long shard of crystal in his hand. He drove that makeshift weapon straight into the back of the troll's head, and it fell dead without a sound. Another troll charged him and won the crystal straight through his heart. By then, Tennon had bad cuts on both his hands. That didn't stop him from charging toward the next group of ten trolls.

Cita and Urdo joined him. The bees swarmed in behind them, and the trolls didn't like bees either. That was probably because they headed straight for the creatures' eyes. Tennon took advantage of the blinded trolls and killed two more. Then the mage went back down to his knees, and it was all Cita and Urdo could do to keep them safe. None of them would last much longer. Except for the bees, there was no sign of any other allies. However, Cita could see more trolls coming at a run across the grasslands.

"Urdo, you should --"

"If you say one more thing about leaving -- drop!"

Cita threw herself flat on the ground as Urdo stabbed. The rock troll granted and maybe cursed before he fell and landed on Cita.  It twitched once and then became a dead weight. Dead rock troll weight.

"Urdo --"

"Busy here."

Cita gasped out a curse and tried to pull herself out from under the body. She desperately tried to ignore the pain in her side. She had clawed about a hand's breadth forward when Urdo yelled a curse and fell over her and the dead troll.

And then the world went black.

Flash Fiction #672 -- Forgotten/6

 

They walked for the rest of the day—maybe more than a day, although the sun barely moved in the sky. They rested twice, with Tennon on guard duty while the humans slept. Grasslands gave way to scrub and desert, and Cita did not like the idea of walking across that landscape of mostly glaring rocks and sifting sands.

Even Tennon stopped in his relentless forward movement and gave the desert a scowl of distrust. Urdo scanned the area, and Atora appeared to be listening for something.  Cita saw nothing and only heard grains of sand moving over the rocks.  The slight breeze felt hot and dry enough to suck the sweat from a person.  

"We can't possibly --" Urdo began

"You know the way back.  Thank you for your help."

Tennon headed off into the desert. So, of course, they followed. Tennon glanced their way with a frown of disbelief and kept going, but within a mile, their companion began to falter and would have gone face down onto the rocks if Urdo hadn't caught him.

"You should go back," Tennon whispered.  "This is not your quest. I know this place now.  It is not good."

"You can't expect us to stop now," Cita replied, although she thought the words were madness. "But we had better come up with some way to survive."

"Tent," Tennon mumbled.

Cita thought that would have been wise months ago when they bought supplies for the trip. She almost said so, but stopped when Tennon pulled a small cloth from his pouch and shook it out. And shook it again. Each time, the fabric grew larger. Urdo caught one end and helped create a covering large enough for them all to shelter under it, though Tennon had to do some magic to create poles to hold it up.
Then he fell asleep.
The three of them settled near he opening to the tent and kept watch on the hot, dry land beyond.  They whispered a few words, but then fell silent when it bothered Tennon.

They each took turns guarding and resting.  The magic tent blocked the heat, and Cita had no trouble clearing a spot to rest.  She fell to sleep with remarkable ease.

The sun drifted low over the desert. Cita stood by the opening to the tent and scanned the landscape for the telltale shadows of distant buildings or the sparkling of village lights.  She saw nothing.

Tennon woke, then Urdo, and finally Atora.  They shared food, and Tennon finally stepped to the opening and stared out into a world lit only by a half-moon.

"So desolate. This used to be a lovely land."

"What happened?" Atora asked.

"Another group wanted it. The war destroyed everything, including defenders and attackers. This is what they left behind.  It was my mother's land. I did not realize the paths were taking me home."

Cita put a hand on his shoulder.  "Is this journey about Farlyn or is it about you?"

He stared blank-faced for a half-dozen heartbeats. Then Cita saw a slow change take place. She saw the young priest become far more powerful. His eyes blazed with anger. Cita took a step back in surprise rather than fright.

Then he blinked and became Tennon again.

"I have forgotten something," Tennon admitted. "I don't know if this is about me more about Farlyn. I don't think that really matters since we are both here. Can you see the glow in the distance?"

Cita could see a pinpoint of green straight out from the tent's opening.  She tried to quell the hope that they had nearly finished this quest. It had not been what they had set out to do.

This was far more important than the search for gold and jewels. She felt inadequate to the journey's end -- whatever that might be. Cita worried she would fail in the most important work of her life.

Maybe that feeling came from Tennon. How could she feel that way if she did not know what they were meant to do?  Did Tennon know?  Probably not, and that was enough to worry him.

They gathered up their few supplies.  Tennon folded up the tent and put it away. He stopped to look at the three over, but Atora took his arm and stopped him from speaking.

"It's no use," Atora told him.  "We're going with you.  Let's not waste time."

Cita and Urdo followed them, but at a distance.  Cita had questions, but when she looked at Urdo, the thoughts fled again.

"What do we believe?" she finally asked. "What do we trust?"

"We believe what we see for ourselves, and we trust him until we learn otherwise."

So, they still followed, even when the ground began to move.

Flash Fiction #671 -- Forgotten/5

 

Cita wasn't sure where she got the energy to leap at Tennon and grab him by his shoulders. She shook him several times.  

"What do you mean, first?" Cita demanded.

Tennon extricated himself from her hold and took a cautious step backward. "Magic -- rule of three. We have two more."

"Those flying monstrosities don't count?" Atora asked.

"Gargoyles. They were just defending their territory."

"What next?" Urdo asked with a nervous twitch of his head.

"They still have Farlyn's stone, so we follow it.  Yes, that might lead to a trap, but that is still better than wandering aimlessly. Unless you wish to go back? I can get you to the staircase.  It is a long climb, but I doubt the gargoyles will bother you if I am not there."

No one said anything.

So they followed Tennon. Cita tried to believe that their mage had a clue to where they must go.  Sometimes she thought she could see a hint of green in the distance and assumed that must be the stone.

Following Tennon started to seem like traveling in a constant circle. The landscape rarely changed, and when it did, it was not for the better. Nor was the journey helped by Tennon repeating tales of past adventures that seemed far too much like this one. That only made her think, even though that was part of the circle.

Then, in the blink of an eye, everything around them changed to a landscape of low hills covered in small fires that seemed to move on their own.

"Well," Tennon said as he looked around. "This is different."

Cita thought he sounded too assured, as if he believed his magic could take on anything. He had already used considerable power to get them this far. He acted as though he had infinite powers to draw upon, but Cita knew mages didn't work that way. Was a mage-priest any different?

Another thought intruded. Was it possible that Tennon was not anything like what they thought he might be?

She glanced his way and was shocked to find him nodding in her direction. "It took you long enough to figure that one out," he said. "I didn't mean to hide anything from you.  It just seemed as if there was no right time to explain. Watch out!"

Cita spun to find one of the fire creatures waving spindly arms at her. They shot out fireballs and sparks. She swept her blade at it out of habit before considering how the fire would react to metal.

Cita almost tossed the weapon aside before she realized it was not reduced to a molten mass of iron. In fact, the creature shriveled and died as it spat a few useless sparks at her, then shriveled into a pile of ash. Tennon knelt long enough to scoop up a couple of handfuls of ash and shove it into a pouch.

"Use your blades!" Cita shouted to the others and hoped her encounter had not been a fluke. In moments, dozens of the fire creatures were turning to ash.

But there were too many. They fought in pairs, the other two resting while the other two swept their weapons into the massing creatures.

"Storm," Tennon gasped.  "I need a moment --"

Atora and Urdo rose to fight while their mage -- or whatever he was -- took a step back and began to chant. The fire creatures paused for one heartbeat and then surged forward.

Cita hoped the rain would come in time.

Deluge.  It felt as though a river suddenly dropped on them. Creatures of fire turned to shapes of ash and then disappeared into the mud. The rain only lasted a few dozen heartbeats, but as it eased back, she could see that Tennon had defeated the enemy.  He had also fallen on his back in the mud.

Cita stared down at him,  "What are you?"

"An embarrassed godling." He sat up on his own but accepted her hand to stand. Cita released his too-warm hand in haste.  "My father is a god and my mother a fae. That gives me unusual powers, but I am limited by being one of the Forgotten."

"Forgotten," Cita echoed. They were already heading away from the battlefield.

"The gods scatter offspring wherever they pass and think nothing of it. They forget as part of their nature.  The fae are different. They only send a child out if there is a reason it cannot survive in the fae world. In that case, they are forgotten for a reason.  I suffer from both types, which makes it difficult for me to call upon any help."

"And then, here we are," Urdo added.

"I did not ask for you," Tennon said.  "You did not ask for my help, either.  As one of the Forgotten, the best I can do is join with others if I think I can help.  I did not expect to find the problem with Farlyn. I could have sent you away --"

"We are here," Urdo said. "You better get moving, or we'll leave you behind."

Cita planned on a long discussion later, but right now, Urdo was right to get them moving.  They had one more battle to fight.

Flash Ficton #670 -- Forgotten/4

 

Cita realized the creatures didn't notice that Tennon had allies.

She felt panic for a heartbeat before it transformed from 'flight' to 'fight'. If the creatures hadn't been so intent on Tennon, or maybe stopped yowling and growling for a moment, they would have noticed Cita shouting orders to her companions.

Tennon wasn't helpless. One tumbled lifelessly down the stairs while another glowed briefly and disappeared. Cita saw the boy balanced precariously at the edge of a step.  He had a dark-bladed sword in his hand, and she didn't know where it came from.

Cita didn't doubt it had power, though. It destroyed these creatures so easily that she felt tempted to leave the battle to him. Unfortunately, another ten of the creatures and they noticed that Tennon was not alone.

"Stay close together," Tennon shouted.  "Guard your backs and heads!"

Good advice. The three of them immediately moved to Tennon to form a square as best they could on the stairs. He gave a nod of appreciation, although his sword never stopped. Urdo was doing almost as well with his non-magical, but thick-bladed sword. He grunted every time he swung the heavy weapon, but rarely missed a blow.
Atura fought with matched short blades.  Usually, her battles looked like a graceful dance.  That wasn't entirely possible on the stairs, but she held her own.

Cita found that her long knife wasn't the best weapon against creatures with multiple claws and wings. One came behind and caught her by the hair jerking upward. Cita sliced off a strip of hair, spun, and cut the creature with her blade in a wing.

It howled and tried to pull away, but the knife tore a long, ragged wound through the thin skin and tendons.  The wing folded, and the creature, his long-nailed feet barely on a step, shouted in pain. It tumbled backward, hit its head on the stone steps, and went limp.

Cita spun and found the battle done.  The enemy either lay dead at their feet or retreated in flight.

"We must go!" Tennon ordered.  He tied a piece of cloth around Atora's right wrist, a touch of magic helping to stop the bleeding. All of them had suffered cuts and bites.  "Go, go!"

So they headed downward again. Cita wasn't alone in watching the clouds for more of the demons.  They rushed across the stairs, all of them growing breathless.

Things flew close by, but those intrusions lessened as the clouds thinned.  They broke out into a bright sunlit day, but kept heading downward for another hundred steps before Tennon signaled a stop.

At least they could see the ground from here. Fields, paths, and a distant town with a huge temple of some sort.  Cita hoped that was good.

She saw a flash of green from a high temple tower.

"Tennon --"

"I saw it.  At least we don't have to hunt through a realm or two." Tennon lifted his hand and nodded.  "It is a trap, of course. But it is his stone."

"And we'll walk right into it," Cita said.

"Actually, I thought we would fly.  Now."

Cita barely had time to yelp as a wind caught hold of her, lifting all of them upward by several yards.  Atora looked like she might pass out from the fear, but Urdo looked as though he was born to fly.

Cita wasn't certain of her own feelings and didn't have time to contemplate them.  At this speed, Tennon was going to splatter them against the tower wall.

They barely slowed as they neared with Tennon in the lead. He threw himself through a window, and the other three quickly popped through, with Cita entering last. She rolled and came to her feet.

Late to the battle.

Urdo was down with Atora standing over him while he grabbed at his fallen sword. That left Tennon alone fighting a multi-armed monstrosity with even more eye tentacles. There was no way to take down such a creature.

"Tennon -- what should we do?" Cita asked, her voice trembling.

"Surprise me."

She almost snapped a rude answer before she realized the underlying wisdom in what he said. She had to believe that this thing not only saw, but also heard and understood any plans. Surprise was their best weapon.

Cita stepped back to her companions. She offered a hand to Urdo to get him to his feet. 

"Will your leg hold up for one more attack?" she asked.

He grinned in agreement.

They spun and rushed the creature, all three of them throwing themselves at the ground and cutting into the five thick legs that held it up

It screamed and thrashed, claws catching hold of cloth and skin. Cita hoped the others were smart enough to protect their heads. Atora had graduated from legs to eye stalks while the other three focused on arms.

Tennon found the shell-encased brain.  The black sword sliced through it several times before he stepped back and nodded as it shriveled into a mass of black and disappeared.

"Good!" Tennon said.  "That's one down!" 

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)