The sounds of claws clicking against the polished stone floors echoed through the temple. The water in the pool began to let off a faint glow, bathing everything in an ethereal blue light. Rhania lay panting behind a pillar. Ricar had helped move her, and the ordeal had been excruciating. It was all she could do to stop herself from crying out in pain.
They held their breaths as the clicking sound drew nearer. Soon, a large bear like creature padded into view. Its fur was brown with stripes of green, it had the head of a tiger. It stood taller than Ricar at the shoulder and a pair of large fangs protruded from its closed mouth. It looked around cautiously as it made its way towards the pool and then stopped to sniff the air.
Rhania saw Ricar draw his dagger next to her and winced as she placed her hand on his to stop him. He gave her an inquisitive look and she took a deep breath before calling out.
“We mean no harm, brother.”
The bear-tiger looked at them and a bead of sweat rolled down Rhania’s head when she saw the hackles on its back stand on end. The creature let out a low growl as it padded towards them, and Rhania wondered if her stubbornness was getting the best of her again. Bearcats were friendly to elves. The question was would it see her as one, and what would it make of Ricar? If it proved hostile, she didn’t see how they could fight this creature off with her injuries, and Ricar not having a proper weapon.
In the corner of her eye, Rhania saw Ricar slowly reach for her bow. Before she could react, the creature bristled, and he froze in place. It gave Rhania a curious look and she realized she had spoken in the human tongue earlier.
“We mean no harm, brother,” she repeated in Elvish. “We are taking refuge here until I can recover from our fight with a servant of the Dark Ones.”
Rhania’s pulse quickened as the bear-tiger padded towards her until she could feel its hot breath against her neck. It sniffed her and placed a giant paw on her shoulder. Rhania gasped as a jolt of electricity shot up her spine. She looked up into its piercing blue eyes without fear.
“Hail, child of Ergon,” she heard the creature’s voice echo in her head. “I know of whom you speak. I passed him earlier this evening.”
“He is a threat to the forest,” Rhania said, delighted to be seen as a child of Ergon by this noble keeper of the forest. “Will you help us fight him, brother?”
The creature shook its shaggy head slowly. “No, my charge is to keep the forest free from lesser evils. If I opposed one as powerful as he, I would surely perish. Then who would protect my family?”
“Much of the forest is already uninhabitable thanks to his corruption,” Rhania pointed out. “If left unchecked, the whole forest could be imperilled.”
“Our task is to keep the forest clear of lesser evils,” the creature’s lips curled up showing its fangs. “And to alert your kind when a larger threat emerges. That was our ancient pact. I have done my part. I leave it to you to do yours.”
“Brother, I must ask, why did you come here, then?” Rhania asked.
The creature gave her a puzzled look. “Why, to inform you of the threat in our woods, of course.”
“My kind has not been here for thousands of years,” Rhania protested.
The creature looked at the statue of Ergon before turning back to her. “Your God said you would be here, and you were. At the rate he was going, he would have reached Hadlan’s Pillars by now. With luck, the sentinels will have taken care of him.”
Rhania heard Ricar breathe a sigh of relief when the creature turned around and began walking away.
“It brought good news, I presume?” Ricar ventured once the creature left the temple. “You’re beaming from ear to ear.”
Rhania blinked and forced the smile from her face. “No, it’s… I’d forgotten that Hadlan’s Pillars were powerful sentinels placed there by my mother’s people to protect these woods from threats coming down the mountain.”
“Are they?” Ricar asked before breaking into a relieved smile. “Then with luck, our friend has already been dealt with. That is welcome news indeed.”
“We cannot take anything for granted,” Rhania pointed out. “Our next course of action remains the same. I will heal myself at dawn, and we will head out for the Pillars to see for ourselves.”
Ricar hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I suppose that is wise.”
The wiry man studied Rhania for a moment before breaking into a crooked smile. “So, are you going to tell me what made you so happy?”
“It’s silly,” Rhania began.
“Tell me,” Ricar insisted.
“Bear-tigers are guardians of the forest and allies of the elves,” she said at length.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“And it acknowledged you as one?” Ricar ventured.
Rhania nodded.
Ricar chuckled softly and shook his head. “I’m glad for you but perhaps you take too much stock in what others think your heritage is.”
Rhania frowned. “You couldn’t possibly understand.”
Ricar raised his hands in mock surrender. “If you say so.”
“Why don’t you go back to sleep?” he suggested. “There are still a few hours before dawn.”
Rhania shook her head. She had since decided that her dream was the product of her own deep seated insecurities, and she had no desire to risk experiencing such a thing again. However, the moving was too painful, and as she lay motionless on the ground, she soon drifted off again.
Her sleep this time was dreamless, though, and she was roused by Ricar. The first traces of dawn were visible through the windows.
“It is still a few minutes before daybreak,” Ricar said and pointed. “East is that way. I thought you might want to join me for the dawn prayer.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Rhania’s voice was strained.
The pain in her ribs had reduced to a dull throb. The temple’s magic had sped her recovery up considerably and she wondered if she could get away with not casting the healing spell and conserving it. However, that thought evaporated as soon as she attempted to move. She gasped in pain as she clutched her side and Ricar gave her a concerned look.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t overdo it,” he suggested.
Rhania gritted her teeth and didn’t answer while Ricar knelt facing east and waited for the arrival of dawn. Ricar began to mouth a silent prayer and Rhania gave the statue of Ergon an apologetic look. She felt her spell return and began chanting quietly as Ricar prostrated himself.
The pain in her side vanished almost instantly and the only sign of her injury that remained was some slight stiffness as she got to her feet. She waited patiently for Ricar to complete his prayer before gathering her things.
“That took longer than usual,” she remarked.
“I was thanking Aertani for healing you,” Ricar said.
“That really wasn’t necessary,” Rhania snapped with more venom than intended. She shot Ricar an apologetic look before adding. “We are in the house of another God, after all.”
Ricar glanced at the statue of Ergon and bowed low. “I am sorry if we caused offence and thank you for your hospitality.”
He turned to Rhania and beamed toothily. “Shall we go see what has become of Glonn?”
“You seem awful confident he’s dead,” Rhania remarked.
Ricar shrugged. “If he’s passed the Pillars, he is well beyond our reach by now, and if he hasn’t…”
Rhania forced a frown. “If it’s the former, it will fall to me to track him down.”
“You’ll not be embarking on an expedition into the mountains without first consulting with your superiors,” Ricar stated confidently.
Rhania finally broke into a grin. “You aren’t wrong there.”
“Do you think you will be chosen for that mission?” Ricar asked.
Rhania shrugged. “It’s too early to say. I don’t know if there will be a mission yet. Our Captain…”
Her voice trailed off and Ricar offered a wry smile. “Is that meant to be a secret?”
Rhania shook her head. “It’s not, at least not as far as I’ve been told.”
“Well, if there’s anything we can do to help, don’t hesitate to tell me,” Ricar said. “I at least will speak glowingly of your contributions on this request.”
“Thank you,” Rhania said, smiling in spite of herself.
The pair were heartened as they walked out of the temple into the growing morning light. It seemed that their ordeal was over. But that feeling quickly passed.
“What is it?” Ricar asked when Rhania came to an abrupt stop in the garden.
“Something approaches,” she said as she readied her bow.
“Is it him?” Ricar whispered as he drew his borrowed dagger.
“I can’t tell yet,” Rhania replied, wishing she hadn’t had to use her spell of the day. “But they are approaching quickly.”
“Say, why don’t you let me use that and you can use your sword?” Ricar ventured.
Rhania gave him an incredulous look. “Have you used an Elven bow before?”
She offered him the bow when he shook his head. “Try and draw the string.”
Ricar’s eyes widened as he did as he was told before handing the bow back to her. “The pull is heavier than it looks.”
Rhania nodded briefly as she reached out with her senses. Her mind was in turmoil. There was more than one of them. Did that mean Glonn was alive and had come back? Why? Had the guardians at the pass defeated him? If it wasn’t Glonn, who could it be, a new threat? Her heart began to race as three orcs appeared from amongst the trees, and, her questions were soon replaced by cold fury.
“You are trespassing on sacred land,” she roared as an arrow flew from her bow, striking one in the neck from eighty yards away.
The orc did not fall despite being dealt a fatal wound and Rhania looked at it, confused. Then, she saw them, fresh wounds on each of the creatures.
“They’re his minions,” Ricar breathed. “Glonn lives. But where did the greenskins come from?”
Rhania swallowed. The Arbiters had long suspected that the aggressive greenskin races had settled in the Sawtooth Mountains, but they had lacked the resources to investigate. Now, their fears were confirmed. However, they were meant to be servants of the Dark Gods, so why did Glonn have to turn these?
“Where is your master?” Rhania asked as she fired another arrow that struck another orc in the chest. The greenskin’s body jerked briefly, but it continued to advance towards them, staring at her with glassy eyes. “Was he defeated by the Guardians of the Mountains and forced to turn tail?
The largest of the three orcs that had been walking behind the other two replied in a monotone voice. “He has reduced the guardians to rubble.”
“Then why has he come back?” Rhania demanded as she fired an arrow at the orc that spoke.
The greenskin drew his sword and swatted the arrow out of the air before replying. “The master had unfinished business with you to settle before he ascends the mountain to take his Crown.”
“Then why isn’t he here to finish it himself?” Rhania asked as she looked around for any signs of Glonn.
The large orc grinned sardonically. “The Master will reveal himself when the time is right. For now, you will have to contend with us.”
“So he’s sent you to soften us up,” Ricar spat. “Has he no honour?”
“Honour is meaningless if you cannot claim victory,” the orc pointed out with a sly grin on its face.
He came to a stop and barked a command at the two smaller orcs. Rhania fired her remaining arrows at one of the smaller orcs and it tumbled to the ground. The other orc roared as it closed the gap. Rhania cast her bow aside and drew her sword.
She kept her hands by her side until the orc was almost upon her before darting forward with blinding speed and crushing its head with her sword. The creature tottered for a moment before collapsing in a heap. She fixed her gaze on the remaining orc as she took several long paces away from the corpse.
“Well, we’re softened up,” she said mockingly. “Will your Master be making an appearance?”
The remaining orc smirked as he advanced menacingly. “It appears you are a better swordsman than the Master is. Perhaps there shall be some sport to be had after all.”