Into the woods

"The pain!" Reyan writhed.

The first time he had portaled one of the abominations had not felt good, but the fairy had still been able to create a cage with his ice even with the discomfort.

But since Reyan was already weakened by maintaining the opening, the effect of the lizard crossing through the magical barrier was much, much worse. Every part of him screamed in pain. It was like his insides were being invaded by something foreign, and he was having difficulty fighting it off.

Yet that was not their most pressing problem.

The source of the pain was one of the abominations, and it was not ready to give up just because it had come unceremoniously through a portal from his comfy cabin in the woods. The muscles of his tattooed arm brought the horn quickly to his lips as he let off two short sharp blasts.

It was all he could muster before the horn was knocked to the ground and cracked by Alvar's elbow and heel respectively.

The shattering of the instrument broke the others from their indecision. Brinn took the old man from Alvar's grip as he prepared to fight the abomination.

The lizard hissed and eyed the muscular elf, trying to decide the best method of attack.

"Get out of here!" Alvar ordered his wife and the others. "I'll take care of this."

Brinn opened her mouth to argue, but she had no defense. She was weak and would not be much help in such a physical fight.

What's more, if she stayed there would be no one to carry the professor or make sure Jaymes and the hurting fairy made it to safety. Reyan did not seem to be in great shape.

The elven princess nodded to her husband. "Don't you dare die or get injured!" she ordered him. To the others, Brinn waved. "Run!"

She pointed in the direction of their escape, but Jaymes joined her at her side to try and help her carry the tutor. The elf reluctantly accepted his assistance. It was easier than fighting. With the old man draped between them, they began an awkward walk-run through the forest.

"Hurry up, you old curmudgeon!" Brinn screamed at Reyan. She tried to hide the concern in her voice. The fairy was usually racing ahead of her.

When he came into her field of vision, his fly-walking resembled an insect who had gotten too fat to fly but was still trying to make the effort.

"Not the most efficient way to travel," Brinn goaded him.

Reyan sneered while gritting his teeth. "Don't you think I know that?!"

But the insult hit the spot. Gripping his aching side, the fairy pushed forward without complaint.

Behind them, the blade of Alvar's sword scraped against the monster's claws. The hiss of the creature carried across the air and rippled through the trees about them. Each loud sound caused a new flurry of activity overhead.

Brinn hated how the trees sent a chill down her spine when they made their ghostly dance. Even she, who was afraid of nothing, was intimidated by their hauntings.

Pushing away the fear creeping into her being, Brinn urged the group forward. A cry of intense anguish rang out behind them.

"Was that your friend?" Jaymes asked anxiously.

"No," Brinn answered uncertainly. "At least it better not be..."

Beside them, Reyan was panting. "It wasn't him," the fairy said between breaths. "Alvar screams like a little girl." Despite his condescending tone, Reyan had meant his words as comforting.

The princess refrained from looking back, knowing that she would be too tempted to return to Alvar's side if she did. "We need to move faster," she chided them.

Jaymes stumbled, the weight of the professor across his shoulders knocking him all the way to the ground. He had been doing his best, but he was so thin and had not had exercise in months. His energy was spent.

But the boy's eyes shone bright blue with determination. He raised himself from the ground and pulled his tutor up to help carry him once more.

"I can do this," he told himself as much as the elf. "Though I wish you hadn't knocked him out."

"He would be dead or calling for the lizards otherwise. I am just glad he did not eat that dinner he was waiting on." Brinn tried to keep things light even as the weight of worry bore down on her.

The man wasn't that heavy as far as humans went, and under normal conditions, she would have been fine. Too bad things were far from normal just now.

"Why haven't you made it farther!" A gust of wind pushed Alvar up beside Brinn. His body was covered with droplets of sickly purple.

"Blame the slowpokes!" Brinn hissed, pretending she was not one of them. "The lizard?"

"Dead." Taking the professor from the she-elf and the boy, Alvar hoisted the old man across his shoulders. "And before you threaten to kill me, my love, no-- I'm not hurt."

Brinn smirked. "Good."

"We have another problem though," the elven prince told them. "As I was finishing off the leader, the rest of the abominations were already on their way. They didn't see me, but I could hear them."

"Those buggers are fast, we'll never make it to the Empress without them chasing us down." Brinn looked over her shoulder. Even though she couldn't spot them through the forest, the princess could hear their loud movement and their angry bickering.

Alvar placed a protective wind barrier around them to block their scent and voices from the outside world. "Quick, up a tree!"

Thanks to the low branches of one of the closest pines, the group was hidden within the tree after only a moment. Unfortunately, Alvar's wind magic was sending ripples through the ghostly needles. Lowering the magic as much as possible, the rustling nearly stopped.

"We cannot go to the Empress right now," Reyan grumbled. "We will bring those blasted lizards with us, and I don't think we can fight them head on."

"We can wait here until they give up," Jaymes suggested.

"Alvar's magic isn't infinite, so it will give out at some point. I don't want to see if the lizards or Alvar have more stamina, do you?" Brinn stated bluntly. She pressed her fingers against her eyelids. "Anyway, the rustling is still noticeable. If one of them is perceptive and lucky, we will still be found. I am sure those creatures must know how to climb."

"The sensitive trees are a real problem. The slightest movement sends them quivering." Reyan crossed his arms. He leaned back on the trunk, sending a rumbling down the trunk.

"Be careful!" Brinn's hands surged forward to stop the fairy from any more unnecessary movement.

They all went still.

Below the tree, a flurry of activity drew their attention. Abominations swarmed the area, surrounding their hideout as they came to a stop.

Outside the wind magic surrounding them, Brinn knew that the air was filled with the putrid smell of death and suffering.

"They are here somewhere… I smelled the boy and the man, I know it!" One of them hissed.

Winded, a plump lizard placed his claws on his knees. "What about the smell of sugar and toadstools?"

The first thumped the second on his head. "They obviously had help! You think that child could kill Bohdrin? Please! We'll find the sugar and toadstools. They are the source of this mess!"

The sweet smell was obviously Brinn. She had let go of all her magic in order to use her strength to carry the old man. This meant the less flattering smell they described must be the fairy.

Reyan had come to the same conclusion. "I haven't eaten toadstools in my life!"

Brinn's hand flew to his mouth. She held her breath. Things below went silent. Moments passed.

"Over here!"

The lizards thundered away, much to the relief of those trapped in the tree.

"Toadstools indeed!" Reyan pushed Brinn's hand away and shook his fist at the reptilian creatures when he was sure they could no longer hear. "They wouldn't know quality if it hit them in the nose!"

"You almost got us killed!" Brinn clenched her jaw.

"But I didn't, and that's the important part." Reyan stuck out his tongue.

"Not the time for bickering." Alvar's face was stern. "They have just cut off our path to the Empress. What's worse, if they keep going that direction, they will catch the humans and Gela. We need to do something and quickly."

Jaymes tentatively raised his hand. "I have a plan…"

Brinn recalled the boy telling his mentor about something he had devised. "Why do I sense there is a 'but' in your statement?"

The young man looked embarrassed. "There is a catch, but I know it will work! The only problem is: you have to use me as bait."

Brinn looked him squarely in the eye and frowned. "Are you sure you aren't related to the royal family?"