The stag raced towards them, giving them little time to think. Devrim and Junayd drew their swords, but the mighty creature flung them aside like they weighed less than a feather. He bore down on Gandr, who stared wide-eyed at the beast.
To everyone's shock, the stag gathered up Prince Alaron in his branchlike horns and gave a guttural cry before racing off into the trees before them.
"Did he just abduct our abduction of the prince's abduction?" Junayd queried.
Gandr ignored him. "After the stag!" The halfling used his wind magic to push along the the trio just as the gnomes came into the clearing. The men needed no more coaxing. They ran full out after the stag and away from the gnomes in a life-or-death game of tag. The close proximity of the trees made them difficult to avoid, but the agile warriors remained focused. Their lives depended on it.
The gnomes could not move as easily through the trunks and exposed roots, and so many of them opted for an underground route. The stag's running was unpredictable, which made the humans and halfling jog in a zigzag path. As a result, the gnomes kept coming above ground to one side or other of the trio, but never right on top of them.
"I do not have much left in me," Gandr admitted breathlessly. "I have to stop using magic soon or my whole body will give out."
"I understand. It is not your fault." Devrim looked about, hoping that the gnomes would also be tired, but they seemed to still be in hot pursuit.
Gandr gave one last push, and the group tried to put as much distance between themselves and the gnomes as possible. The stag was only a few paces in front of them when he abruptly halted and turned to face them. His piecing blue eyes shocked Devrim once again with their knowing intelligence.
"Put down the boy," Devrim ordered between huffs. He drew his sword and prepared to swing. He did not want to fight the beautiful creature, but he could not leave Alaron either. The stag reared back and began to transform into the wood nymph's more human form.
"Hold on, Your Majesty!" Gandr stayed the man's sword. When the nymph had finished transforming, he held the prince in his limb-like arms. His wooden face was calm, not angry. After a quick exchange in the ancient tongue, Gandr gave a determined nod. "He wants us to follow him," the halfling urged them forward.
The group slid down a narrow embankment. The muddy ground made them unsteady as they used exposed roots as handholds. Junayd's head went below the ridge just as the gnomes caught sight of them. "Hurry!"
With Alaron in his arms, the nymph led them to what seemed to be a dead end. The trees were so dense that there seemed to be no way through. "What now?" The Emperor asked in despair.
Touching one of the trees, the nymph caused the small grove to light up with a pale glow. A creaking sound filled the air as a hidden entrance revealed itself. The group tumbled into the hollowed out interior of a large tree stump. The nymph gently placed the boy on the wooden ground, grunted at Gandr and left, shutting them in. "He said to wait here."
Devrim pushed his eye up to peekhole in the stump in time to see the stag race off in another direction. His hooves were louder than they had been before. Devrim realized that the nymph was trying to distract the gnomes.
"Why would he help us?" Junayd wondered.
"I do not know," Devrim was also confused.
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Gandr offered his input. "Well, nymphs and gnomes have never gotten along but as to why this particular nymph is willing to help us I have no idea—"
"Sh!" The Emperor quieted him. "They are coming!" The thick tension in the air nearly pushed them to the ground as a low-browed gnome led an expedition towards the grove of trees.
"They came this way!" one of them said. The gnomes stopped to sense the ground, but could not find the fugitives. "Those measly little humans can not have gotten far, but all I sense is that meddlesome nymph."
"Perhaps they climbed a tree?" someone offered. The gnomes looked up among the branches, but with the green summer leaves, their view was obscured.
"Come out, little humans! We just want the prince. Hand him over and we will let you go in peace," the low-browed gnome cooed.
"We will?" Another one whispered, but was elbowed by his neighbor.
"Prince Alaron! Can you hear me?" the lead gnome asked.
Those in the tree held their breath. The silence seemed to drag on forever. None of them saw Alaron stir on the wooden floor. The boy groaned, "What-"
Junayd ran to his side and clamped a hand over his mouth. Reflexively, the boy bit back and moved away from the palm.
"What is the meaning of this?!" the prince demanded. The small prick of light from the knot hole suddenly vanished as a gnome's eye peeked into the dark tree.
"Found you!" the low-browed gnome teased. "Do not worry. We will have you out of there shortly. Hack it open," he ordered. The others brought out small hatchets or used other weapons to strip the stump of bark and gain access. It was only a matter of time before they would break through.
Devrim walked the circumference of the large stump looking for a weak spot. He found a small crack in the wood at the farthest point from the gnomes. "It will have to do," he mumbled. "Help me!" Junayd, Devrim and Gandr pulled their swords and shoved them in the crack, slowly making themselves an exit. For every bit of progress they made, the gnomes made at least twice as much.
Fortunately the gnomes were not working in unison, and little splinters of light riddled the far side of the stump as each tried to make his own hole. "Faster. We have to go faster," Gandr urged. Their escape hatch, however small, was gaining width but not much height.
"I think I can make it through," Junayd announced. He slipped off the sheath of his sword and forced his body through the hole. Devrim handed through the man's sword.
"Take Alaron." Devrim pushed the boy forward.
He tried to resist. "I will knock you unconscious again," Gandr threatened, forcing the prince to comply. With two of them on the other side of the grove of trees, they could widen the hole from both sides.
"I will hold them off," Devrim said as arms and legs of the gnomes began to appear. Gandr nodded. The Emperor saw a hand come through and hit it with the side of his sword. He stomped on another's foot. Then he began to poke his sword in and out of the holes like the tongue of a snake. Not knowing where the stinging edge would come from, the gnomes backed off momentarily.
"Come on, Your Majesty!" Gandr called. The halfling watched as Devrim shot across the stump and through the hole. Gandr followed quickly after. On the other side of the tightly knit trees was a large river. The rushing water was far too fast for them to swim.
"How did you get across this before?" The Emperor asked Junayd.
The soldier was pale. "I didn't, Your Majesty. This river was not here."
"I have never seen this river either," Gandr said.
"But it clearly runs from the lake. How can that be?" Devrim wondered.
Alaron yelled as something grabbed his ankle and pulled him back toward the trees. The gnomes had breached the stump. Devrim sliced a gash in the gnome's arm, causing the latter to retract into the hole without the prince. In a flash, more gnomes came around the trees from another direction, blocking their escape. The group was pinned in between the lake, river, trees, and gnomes.
"We will have to go back into the lake," the Emperor lamented.
Before they could take action, the gnomes' attention was drawn by stampeding hooves. The wood nypmh, along with a dozen of his kind, raced toward the group in the form of horned deer. They laid full force into the gnomes, knocking them aside. To the human's astonishment, the trees also joined the fray, collecting the flying gnomes in their exposed roots and suspending them in the air. The fight, for now, was paused.
"Thank you," Devrim said, bowing deeply to the large stag. "We owe you a great debt."
The stag spoke in a gutteral grunt. "He says more are coming, and we should get in the river," Gandr translated. The halfling looked at the rushing water. "But personally I am not sure if that is such a good idea." He was unable to expound on the idea. The tree roots, which seemed so friendly a moment ago, turned on them and tossed the four into the raging current.
The four, however, did not sink, but landed in the arms a beautiful and determined water nymph. She smiled at the males, her watery hair dripping on their faces. "Thank you, cousins," she said to the wood nymphs. The deer bowed their heads. Glaring at the gnomes she called, "I warned the haughty gnome I would watch, but he did not heed me. He forgets that water is everywhere." She spat the liquid at the squirming enemy before turning to leave. "Never forget," she floated.
The water nypmh took the four males in her arms and carried them southward down the river, her speed increasing as she went. It was an exhilarating and terrifying ride, but the fugitives settled into their unease. They were safe. When he was sure that he would not drown, Gandr asked the water creature something in ancient tongue, and she responded. The halfling's face contorted in confusion.
"What?" Junayd asked, trying hard not to look down or think about what was happening.
"I asked her where the river came from. She says that she brought the river from underground." Gandr told them.
Sure enough, behind them the water was being absorbed back into the soil. On the edge of their vision, new water was being pulled from the earth so they could continue their journey. "Amazing! Where is she taking us?" The Emperor voiced his wonder and concern.
Another exchange occurred between the two magical creatures. Gandr gave a small smile. "You will never guess... It seems we are going to Oblivion."