Shazaar had bad days. He’d had bad months and honestly, if asked, he would have told you that he’d had a bad life. The majaal have a hard life in general, whether they stay in the wastes or go to the few other refuges available to their kind.
Today, for some reason, felt like the worst.
Hunger had been gnawing at him for days, the rations doing very little to assuage his growling stomach. He wished so badly to be back in Allusia, in a tavern with a warm bath and warm food. They weren’t far, even now it would only take a day at most to reach the city if they used the right paths. Even the tunnels of the labyrinth were of strange dimensions. A path in one direction might be much longer if travelled the other way.
He honestly loved the place. At least, more than he did the city, usually. Right now, though, he’d give anything to be anywhere else.
Their weapons had screamed of power, and they hadn’t had the shell to cover it. They should have been easy prey and they would have been if it weren’t for Calliope. The blasted woman had kicked up such a fuss and then left. They hadn’t even wanted to hurt the children… before.
Now they had slipped them for days. They had dangled valuables in front of them and disappeared, taking a chunk of Endun’s mouth with it. That was a taunt and an insult, both of which Shazaar could not stomach. Grier agreed, though he specifically wanted the knuckle dusters. Well, Shazaar thought, if they’re too valuable I’ll just kill Grier too.
Somehow the children avoided perils while Shazaar’s group didn’t. At first they had thought it was luck, then it seemed as though they had an actual map of the labyrinth - which was impossible. Finally Shazaar decided that it was indeed luck, which only made him more furious at the way things had gone.
While he, Endun and Grier were left dealing with the odd monster here and there, it seemed as though the children were likely to be getting rest while their group were constantly on edge. Even when you knew the labyrinth, it wasn’t simple to dodge the pitfalls, nor the caverns housing dangerous creatures.
“We’re going to find them, yes?” Endun asked for the thousandth time. They had just finished cleaning up a pack of wolf-like creatures, with eight canine legs and the wall crawling abilities of a spider. The didn’t even take the time to collect their petty cores, the bounty ahead of them still worth more than any payload the group had ever seen.
“Yes,” Shazaar replied, “we know exactly where they are.” Even as he closed his eyes he could see the eyes of Ah Dan. Each day that the Guan children stayed out of reach was another chip upon his pride. Every time he saw the bandaged and surely ragged scars on his friend’s face, he would be reminded of his own inadequacy as a leader. They had walked into a hall which didn’t branch off for miles, so they would catch them no question.
The final hunt was quick. Shouting came from down the hall and the three men smirked at each other. They were children indeed, lucky or not. They weren’t wise enough to leave these problems to later. This kind of arguing in the labyrinth could and, in their case, would get them killed.
The battle should have been quick. Certainly, the dragon girl was a bit dangerous but Endun wouldn’t let her get anywhere near them. The arguing and inexperience of the four teenagers had left them shattered, only the angry girl with the staff on the offensive. It was frustrating that there was no chance to corral the group into a more advantageous spot, but he trusted his ally to avenge himself.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
While Shazaar was watching the combat with vague disinterest, more intent on the strange Ah Dan, Grier wasn’t even looking at the assault. “What is that?” He was holding his ears and looked terrifying. “It sounds like the bloody drums of the apocalypse.”
“What are you talking about?” Shazaar took another step back to give Endun more space. The fever of her attack was slowing, she was tired. As always, the curtain falls quickly. A flash of movement, Endun’s long limb flying out like a spear with his poison-laced blades. The dwarf to his side was becoming even more frantic, despite the complete halt to her attack. Endun had sliced right through her collarbone. “See? She’s done, what’s the problem?”
“We have to stop them. Now!” Grier jumped forth, a quick chanted spell onto his mace. The flimsy spellweaving was basically nothing more than a light, the dwarf’s panic making him sloppy. Before Shazaar could take control of the situation, he was catching Endun. The girl collapsed, her final act a dropkick against him.
“Get off.” Shazaar threw Endun to the side, the huge frame light despite the size. The other Guanlings were getting involved now, the fat one just in time to stop Grier’s heavy killing blow to the dragon girl. These kids were more tenacious than some of the grown men and women that Shazaar had killed. “Stop messing around and kill them.”
Despite himself, Shazaar found he quite liked the Guan children’s interesting techniques. The mage armour around the fat one, and Ah Dan, was unique. They moved mana around within themselves much more than most, and it let them form more personal techniques than the spells that Shazaar or Grier knew. The orange plates shattered under Grier’s mace all the same, but it was pretty, Shazaar thought. This must be the channelling their people do. Shazaar had met many spellcasters, wizards and warlocks, but had never crossed paths with practitioners before.
They were infuriating. Shazaar raised his shield from the incoming lightning magic. Without a shell hiding their movements, the effect of their attacks were obvious and avoidable. If it weren’t for the power within the items they contained, there would be no competition here. As it was, Shazaar felt the attrition was working despite the scorch marks.
That is, until Guan Ah Dan joined the fight. Shazaar wished he had slit the boy’s throat when he had the chance in the colosseum. Now, as the strange magic gathered heavy in the boy’s hands, Shazaar actually felt adrenaline pulse through himself. He was scared of this child and his intense eyes. The angst turned into certainty when Ah Dan healed the fat one’s arm.
Then, as though it made all the sense in the world, Ah Dan looked away from the combat. Shazaar was so surprised he didn’t take advantage of the situation. It was like being told he was not a threat. It had been a very long time since someone made him feel that way.
This was dangerous. They’d cornered them but Shazaar suddenly felt like it was his back against a wall, and the silver eyes of a predator staring right at himself. This was all wrong. “We’re leaving.” Shazaar decided. He’d had enough of this chase, this doomed decision that he made would tie them down no longer. That, too, was the mark of a leader.
“What if I don’t want to, hmm?” Endun spat on the floor, a thick globule landing right at Shazaar’s feet. “What if Endun wants to kill the whelps, no matter what you say? Yes?” Endun had been something of a bodyguard to Shazaar their whole lives. After leaving the wasteland for a less nomadic lifestyle, their time in Allusia had been a steady stream of easy, if petty, income. Now, the years of camaraderie were fading right before Shazaar’s eyes.
“I made the wrong choice. We should have left them, let’s just go.” As though to punctuate his words, the dragon staff truly burst into flames. Bright red fire, flickering with blackness. Trying to grasp some semblance of command, Shazaar began to walk away. He had taken four strides before stopping. “I said let’s go.”
Endun did not move. Nor, to Shazaar’s increasing incredulity, did Grier. While Endun did step back, without acquiescing, the dwarf edged closer, even, despite the now ridiculous temperature. Shazaar had joked that dwarves like to live in volcanoes but this tunnel was starting to feel like one. “Fine. Stay and boil, blast you.” Shazaar could survive on his own back to Allusia, he decided. Find a drink or brothel to lose himself in and forget all this chaos.
Unfortunately, it seemed Shazaar’s bad day was going to only get worse. He saw Calliope’s tall silhouette at the end of the hallway when he reached it, breath puffing from the sprint. Then he saw the individual at her side.
“Prince Sha-”
Without another word, Shazaar’s worst day became his last.