Off the Scent

The number of monsters circling the cabin was more than triple the number of men that Gela had mentioned.

Their bare, leathery green flesh seemed to reflect the sunlight of the clearing like a bunch of tiny mirrors. It was both mesmerizing and terrifying.

Worse than that, there were no humans in sight.

"This is a trap!"

With Reyan's accusation, Gela wrapped his arms around Aurora and the Doctor and ran.

A moment of panic filled the rest of the cohort. Brinn raised her hands, prepared to fight the Abominable, but Alvar stepped in front of her.

Instead of taking the Empress toward the monsters, the white bear-man ran opposite of the cabin back into the depths of the woods. Silently Brinn and Alvar used their magic to disappear, while the others made their own methods of pursuit.

In the Abominable's embrace, the fetid smell of Gela's fur and skin pressed against Aurora's senses. It was foul and wrong, a perversion of the natural order.

It took a moment for the Empress to overcome the sudden sense of nausea to realize what was happening. But when she found that she was being carried away from the lizards and not towards them, she felt a sense of relief.

In the other furry arm, Phileas seemed to be coming to the same conclusion, for his face was fraught with confusion but not fear. More used to unpleasant odors, the doctor was not as overwhelmed as the Empress. He was able to keep his head.

"Where are you taking us?" Aurora asked, trying not to choke on the putrid air.

"Sh, Your Majesty." Gela whispered. "I don't know how well they can hear, but I cannot risk them smelling you."

'So that is it!' The Empress understood why Gela had abducted the humans. The abominations might not recognize the smell of the magical creatures or the Guardian, but they certainly knew the scent of people.

After all, they used to be human.

By holding them close to his body, Gela had masked their scent with his own. The quick thinking had probably saved their lives.

"Nurlan!" Aurora realized that the Abominable had only grabbed two of the humans. While Zan had the advantage of being a Guardian, the General had no protection beyond his own strength and skill.

At last, Gela came to a stop and set down the two humans in his arms.

"You left Nurlan!" Aurora repeated, her eyes full of fear. Even though she knew that Gela only had two arms, the Empress still could not imagine leaving her personal guard and one of her closest companions behind to fight the monstrous creatures all alone.

"I'm here, Your Majesty; don't worry." Nurlan smoothly slid off of the white behemoth's back and presented himself to the Empress. He flexed his hands and shook out his legs. Riding on the back of the creature had not been easy.

"How did you..?" The question broke off as Aurora inhaled too much of the monster's scent.

Gela took a step away from the three humans and bowed. "It was a risk, but I have seen how much the general watches and protects you and the doctor at all times. I thought if I took both of you, there was no way Nurlan would let me get away."

"I was trying to choke him at first to get him to put you down, which was nearly impossible with Foxie protecting him. But then I figured out Gela wasn't trying to hurt you and just held on for dear life. I much prefer riding a horse to a bear..." Nurlan twisted his back trying to get out the kink which had been caused by the unorthodox trip.

A moment later Brinn and Alvar appeared from nothingness and Zan and Reyan stepped through a portal nearby. Once again the group was reunited.

"Care to tell us what that was all about?" Reyan thrust an accusing finger in Gela's face. "You said nothing about a horde of monsters waiting for us. What kind of trick was that?"

The bear-man's small ears turned backwards slightly. "There were humans only there last time I saw the cabin, I swear. Perhaps the monsters discovered the cabin when I ran and chased off the humans...or worse!"

Gela began to pace. He placed his sharp claws behind his back and lumbered back in forth between the trees. Aurora realized how lucky both she and the doctor had been not to be scraped by the creature's nails when they were scooped up in their hasty escape.

"What if I got that boy killed?! Maker forgive me if I did; I am not sure I can forgive myself." The monster was beginning to spiral into his emotions. Aurora could see his pupils, dark as night, begin to take over his entire beady eyes.

The bear-man gave a guttural growl. He was becoming more monster than man all too quickly.

"Foxie, can you help?!" Aurora sent a frantic plea to the kitsune around Gela's neck. The many-tailed creature seemed to understand, for she brushed her body up against Gela's furry face and began to glow softly.

The Abominable, which was very close to going wild, slowly calmed down and his pupils returned to their normal size. "Ah, the coolness feels nice, Foxie. Thank you," Gela said in his more regular, deep tone.

Taking a deep breath, the bear flopped to the ground.

"What have I done?" He forced his face into his hands, scratching himself in the process.

"Don't trouble yourself too much. We don't know anything yet. Until we know more about what happened to the boy, you cannot blame yourself for anything." The Empress knew about self-blame all too well. It was detrimental and often ill-placed.

"It isn't like we can waltz up to the monsters and ask them if they have seen a boy and could they point us in the right direction," Reyan grumbled.

"There is more than one way to get the information we need. At the very least, we can confirm the child is no longer at the cabin." Aurora pursed her lips as she thought.

"You aren't planning to go up to the cabin yourself, Your Majesty. They will smell you coming no matter how sneaky you are." Phileas had taken Gela's concern to heart.

Scent was a very powerful disadvantage for the humans just now. It was a marker of their existence even when there was no way to see them. Aurora would not be able to get anywhere close to the house in the clearing.

"Then its a good thing I have a spymaster with me who can turn invisible and hide her scent." The fiery-haired woman and the elven princess exchanged a knowing smirk.

"I will check it out," Brinn offered without actually being asked. The redhead was made for this kind of adventure.

"I'll go too." Alvar placed his hand on his wife's shoulder only for her to gently remove it.

"I have done this more times than I can count. I will be quick, but I cannot do it as well if I am worried about you." She wouldn't always admit it, but the she-elf was exceptionally attached to her husband.

The two had not been in battles side by side, and their teamwork was not refined in the way Aurora and Devrim understood one another. If each elf was worried about the other, then the mission would suffer.

Alvar seemed to understand this also. The elven prince kissed his wife and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Are you sure you have enough magic to stay invisible for that long?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I will sneak up as close as I can get before actually disappearing, but after years of spying, my stamina is top notch." Brinn winked and Alvar raised one eyebrow.

Because of the large size of the abominations, the she-elf could not morph herself into a reasonable copy of them. The difference was just too great.

Even if she could transform, how would she mimic their scent? It was far easier to be invisible.

"Be safe, my dear. Don't do anything that I wouldn't...Aurora wouldn't... Zan wouldn't...just make good choices, alright?" Alvar realized that his wife did not have good role models for staying out of danger. No wonder they always got themselves into such strange predicaments!

"I will be good; I promise." Brinn sealed her oath with a kiss and then looked at the Empress. "Wish me luck, Rory!"

"You haven't called me that in years. I think Alvar was right to caution you. If you don't find anything, come back immediately!" The motherly tone in Aurora's voice disappeared. "I do wish you luck."

"This will be easy as pie!" Brinn cocked her head to one side to match her crooked grin. The elven princess held out her arms. "Well, gramps, hurry up and open that portal!"

Reyan glared at her for a second. Rather than begin an argument with the curmudgeon, Brinn backed down.

"Excuse me. I meant to say: Sir Greatness, will you be so kind as to open a safe passage for me near by the cabin."

Satisfied, the fairy's hands came to life as he opened a portal for Brinn to pass through.

"See? Easy as pie," Brinn repeated. "Chocolate pie." Slipping through the hole, the elf disappeared.

Aurora shook her head. 'At least she didn't say chocolate cake. That never ends well for my family...'