Although Brugo was generally wary of magic in his presence, he was finding Anaya’s magic particularly useful. As he hummed softly to herself while they walked, the forest seemed to make itself more inviting to them. He didn’t have to work nearly as hard to clear branches and make a path as he had before she joined him on his journey. And because of this, they were making very good time to Yaal.
More importantly, the forest grew back into place after their passing, leaving their trail nearly invisible to anyone who might be following them. For the first time in a very long time, he was able to let his guard down and think a little. His friends were nearby, and once he met up with them, he’d have somewhere safe to lay his head and a chance to send word back to his wife of his arrival. He’d been missing her more and more with each passing day. That letter in Honeybarrow had been the first he’d heard of her since leaving and it had only served to make him more anxious to reunite.
With a squeak, Mabel emerged from his apron pocket and climbed up his chest, finding a suitable perch on his shoulder. Her beady eyes were wide and curious as she took in the sights all around them. Everywhere they stopped to rest, she seemed to chatter with some creature or another in the wild forest. Brugo wondered what secrets the animals carried to her that he might never know.
He plucked a few berries from a bush as they passed and handed them to her one by one, chuckling as she jammed them into her mouth, staining her fur a purplish-blue color around her little pink nose.
“Almost there,” he said. “And when we arrive, we’ll have a feast.”
She squeaked amiably, chewing on another berry as he walked on.
They’d been in the forest for more than a day and the afternoon heat was making the forest unbearably humid. Between the thick foliage, it was difficult to catch a cooling breeze unless they climbed to the top of each little hill and found a clearing. The next such hill looked to be a ways off, and Brugo dreaded the hike to the top already. However, beyond that, it looked like their path would be mostly downhill into the heart of Yaal itself, and that gave him hope.
“You think we can make it by nightfall?” Anaya asked, surveying the scene from beside him.
“If we hurry. We’ll make good time once we’re over that rise.”
Anaya nodded and resumed her humming, taking the lead for a bit.
They hadn’t seen so much as a single sign of Harpyn since he’d left their first camp. It was as if he’d vanished into the night, and although Brugo was worried about the mage and the sword, he remained confident that they should go to Yaal first. If they’d seen any clues along the way, they might’ve stopped to search for their companion, but after the first few hours of calling for him and receiving no response, they’d given up. If he was in the forest, he didn’t want to be found.
The pair reached the bottom of a shallow valley and then started up the final hill, eager to be through with the trek. They passed through a rocky area where million year old boulders stacked one upon another to form strange caves and outcroppings amid the trees. Pausing, Anaya peeked inside some of the larger openings, just to be sure Harpyn wasn’t hurt or hiding in one of them, but all they found were old nests and droppings from animals that had since moved on.
“I just don’t understand it,” Anaya complained. “How could he have vanished? And why?”
Brugo shrugged. “He always was an odd one. Don’t worry. When we reach Yaal, we will get our answers and you can put your worries to rest.”
Anaya sighed. He knew this was not a satisfactory answer for her, but there wasn’t any sense in sticking around when Yaal was just up ahead.
They were just leaving the last of the rocky structures when the ground shook beneath their feet. Brugo froze, looking up to the sky first. It was like Torg Uyen all over again. He expected to see a giant fireball through the trees, but the sky was as blue as ever.
Another ripple of the earth sent Brugo toppling sideways and he barely caught himself against the trunk of a tree before he heard a cry of alarm from Anaya and he whirled around. She hurled herself out of the way as a large boulder from one of the formations came crashing down right where she’d been standing.
He grabbed her arm and hung on tightly as the earth shuddered and shook, sending a shower of leaves and nuts down from the rattled trees above. There was a lull, and for a moment, Brugo thought the whole thing was over. Although he dreaded what they would find, he knew they had to get to Yaal immediately. He feared they would find the city in ruins, just as the old mage tower had been when it was struck.
But though the rumblings of the ground quieted for a minute, they soon began again, and they became much more violent, wrenching them back and forth with sharp movements as they tried to run up the hill.
All around them, gravel and dirt were sliding in every direction, occasionally dragging them backwards until they managed to claim a foothold and press onward, clinging to each other to stay upright.
They reached the top of the rise and doubled over, desperate to catch their breath. From up here, Yaal looked untouched. At least, there was no evidence of an attack or anything falling from the sky. But he feared that if the ground kept moving so erratically, all the buildings might topple over of their own accord.
Somewhere in the woods, there came the yowl of a wild cat and they exchanged a worried look. All this commotion was sure to bring out the animals. The angry cry of the cat came again, this time closer, and Brugo reached for his axe.
“We need to get out of here,” he said grimly, trying to chart a path down the other side of the hill. With everything moving and jumping, he wasn’t sure they would make it without sliding halfway, and the last thing they needed was an injury.
“Just a minute,” Anaya said, still gasping for breath. She was untying the pouch at her waist and dumping it out onto the ground.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s not me. It’s them,” she said, pointing at the two rods.
Bending, she picked them up in her hands and they leapt into motion. The unharmed rod swung back and forth, emitting a low hum as if it were channeling some kind of energy from the forest. The other rod tried to swing back and forth, but often got stuck, vibrating in place.
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“What does it mean?” Brugo asked.
“I don’t know. This has only ever happened when they were too close to another source of powerful magic. It’s like they can’t handle it all.”
A low growl caught their attention and they both turned to peer into a stand of trees nearby. It was the wild cat, or at least some kind of beast, and it had found them.
Before either of them could respond, a flash of silver darted past, followed by a flash of gold. Brugo blinked in confusion before recognizing the harpies as they disappeared between the trees.
Brugo and Anaya stood transfixed, staring at the place where the harpies had disappeared. There was a shriek and a growl, and the branches thrashed back and forth wildly. Beside him, Anaya sucked in a sharp breath and her expression turned worried.
“We should get out of here,” Brugo said gently. “They’ve given us a chance.”
At least, that’s what he hoped they were doing.
“Let’s go,” Anaya agreed eventually.
They left behind the stacks of boulders and the opening that let in bright sunlight, heading back into the dim forest. As long as they were moving away from the sound of that wild animal, Brugo was confident they could make it to Yaal.
But their pace was slower now. Anaya had tried humming, and it wasn’t working. The forest wasn’t answering her call, like it, too, was distracted by the shaking ground and the cries of the beasts. Neither of them wanted to acknowledge the sounds they heard up ahead.
Brugo gave Anaya an apologetic look before pulling his axe free and taking the first swing. They didn’t have time to waste, and it was the only way through to Yaal. They couldn’t turn back now.
Still, the ground shook beneath them and every once in a while, Brugo’s axe went wide, throwing him off balance as the trees seemed to leap from one place to the next. He grunted, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm, frustrated by the whole experience.
While he worked, Anaya hummed, trying over and over to call on her magic. Then she tried calling to the harpies, but must have been busy back in the clearing still, because they did not respond either.
“Something is wrong,” she said, pacing in the tight space behind him. “This is so confusing.”
“You think? In all my years, I’ve never seen a forest rearrange itself the way this one just did. If this was an earthquake, it’s the biggest one I’ve ever heard of.”
Finally, Brugo managed to clear a space wide enough for the two of them to push through and into a less dense part of the forest. Here, they had to pick their way between tree trunks, but there was plenty of room to move.
They’d barely made it a few paces when they heard something running toward them. Brugo looked up just in time to see a furry, black mass hurtling through the trees in their direction. Its head was held low and its ears were back as it growled a low warning. It dodged between trees, lithe as a village cat, until it came to a halt just a few feet from where Brugo stood. Behind him, Anaya gasped but remained still.
Bruto was thankful for his great axe, but he knew it was not the right weapon for a fight like this. It was too heavy, for one thing, and though his arms were strong from years of swinging it, this beast was unlikely to sit still long enough to give him a chance.
“Come on, beastie. I haven’t got time to waste today,” Brugo growled back at the thing.
It stretched itself forward, moving in long, careful movements. Behind him, Brugo could hear Anaya chanting something under her breath. He prayed whatever it was, it worked this time.
Brugo planted his feet, adjusting his grip on the axe handle as he watched the cat hunting him. Its teeth were bared and its black eyes bored into him. It occurred to him very briefly that if this thing was lurking out here, Harpyn didn’t stand a chance. But this was no time to be concerned with Harpyn. Right now, he needed to save his own skin.
As Brugo waited patiently, counting his breaths, he caught a sound that made his heart stop. Mabel gave a squeak, and in an instant, she jumped from his apron pocket and took off across the forest floor. The cat, distracted by the movement, raised its head and leapt after the tiny mouse.
Shaking off his surprise, Brugo raised his axe, ready to take a swing at the beast as it crossed his path, but he and the cat were knocked sideways by a great mass of white.
Anaya screamed, but Brugo couldn’t see anything. He was on his back, the breath knocked out of his lungs, and his arms pinned beneath the weight of whatever had struck them. He could hear Anaya’s cries, but he couldn’t make sense of them as the cat hissed and spit, and some other animal attacked.
Planting his feet in the dirt, Brugo tried to shove himself backwards, hoping to get out from under the sparring animals, but it was no use. Everywhere he turned, there was more fur. Claws and teeth raked past his vision, a hair’s breadth from his own skin. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stay very still until it was over.
After what felt like an eternity, one of the animals fell quiet, and Brugo opened one eye. When he did, he found the head of a massive white wolf staring directly into his eyes. Its hot breath struck him as its head hung only a few inches away. Brugo swallowed, unsure of what to do. If this thing wanted to eat him, it had better just get on with it.
“That’s enough, Osric.”
The wolf shuffled backwards, giving Brugo space to sit up. When he did, he found Harpyn standing a short distance away, beaming with pride. Over his shoulder, Brugo could see the hilt of the sword sticking up from some kind of makeshift scabbard.
“You’re alive!” Anaya cried, running to him.
The wolf gave a dangerous growl, instantly moving to protect Harpyn from her sudden advancement.
“It’s okay,” Harpyn said. “She’s a friend.”
The wolf growled as if it were unsure, but turned away. It sniffed about the dead wild cat, and Brugo watched as it began tearing the beast’s flesh apart with its enormous teeth.
Stunned, he pulled himself from the ground and went to join the others. A squeak at his feet reminded him that Mabel was down there, and she was safe. He scooped her up and gave a happy sigh of relief.
“You scared me. Don’t ever go running off like that again, you hear?” he scolded her.
She wiggled her nose at him but then hopped down into his apron pocket and disappeared.
“Mind if I ask where he came from?” Brugo asked as he arrived at Harpyn’s side.
“Don’t know,” Harpyn said with a laugh. “One moment I was asleep on the forest floor. The next I was being led through the forest by Osric. At least that’s what I’m calling him. He didn’t come with a name. Anyway, here!”
Harpyn held up a cloth sack that he’d been holding.
When Brugo peeked inside, he found a collection of fruits and nuts that Harpyn had gathered, along with some other things Brugo couldn’t identify.
“We thought you were dead,” Anaya scolded, even as she took one of the larger fruits and took a bite.
“I was trying to find my way back, but Osric here had other ideas. I’m not sure where he’s trying to take me, but I’m pretty sure we’ve been moving in circles since yesterday.” Harpyn shrugged, apparently unbothered by the whole thing.
“And he just… lets you follow him?” Anaya asked skeptically.
“Not just lets! He wants me to. If I don’t, he’ll just stand there and stare at me until I do. Trust me, I’ve tried to stop for breaks, and he won’t have any of it.”
Brugo and Anaya shared a concerned look.
“And the sword?” Anaya asked.
“Oh this? I just got tired of carrying it. It’s easier this way. But no worries. We’re going straight to Yaal and I’ll hand it over to the mages at the first opportunity.”
He sounded just a little too chipper about it for Brugo’s taste. Not like the old Harpyn, timid and worried.
“All right then, we better be on our way. I, for one, am ready to be out of this place and into a proper bed.”
Brugo dropped his axe down into the loop at his belt and started toward Yaal.
“Wait. We can’t go yet. Osric isn’t ready.”
Brugo gave Anaya a questioning look but simply said, “Then he can catch up when he’s done. He seems more than capable of taking care of himself.”
Harpyn did not seem satisfied with this answer, but the earth gave another shudder and Brugo was not going to spend any more time standing around. Whether they followed or not, he was going to Yaal right now.