It was Clarke's duty to write down everything on these little trips, even the things he knew for a fact would be cut out and were a drain on his ink. The long, boring roll of wagon wheels forming calluses on the butts of those seated. The sights were pretty and some had thought to bring books but they rolled along for a week before they reached the edge of swampy marshlands and far on the horizon grew a sea of green and darkness where the trees and stinging insects began.
“Is that it? Are we finally there?”
Gwen asked, stretching out across the cramped wagon. Everyone had taken their own tiny corner, their own little 'room' where their stuff sat. She stretched over everyone in one go.
“Yeah. That's it, home of the bitiest, fightiest lizard people on the continent.”
Wade grumbled. He'd never stopped trying to convince the others that it was a bad idea to roll through the lizard city but every time he'd just been dismissed until he'd given up entirely. He kept his eyes on the ground and as soon as he saw the horses splash into the wet and muck he pulled the rains, guiding the cart away until they were in no danger of being mired.
“Should be a road...maybe this way...I think...”
He trailed off again, a habit he'd made into a hobby.
They stayed on the very edge of the water until they saw a road, higher than the rest and made of packed earth to sit above the water. It was marked by two large stone pillars, the carvings worn down by years of weather until all that could be made out were bumps where some note or picture had once been placed in stone. One pillar was broken in half, sunk in the marshland next to the road.
“I've always wondered what happened to the great cities the lizardfolk claimed to have.”
Alouella stared after the cubic pillar as they passed. Clarke made a note of the pillar, doodling a map as they went.
“Lizard friend of mine said there was some sort of great disaster hundreds of years ago that wiped out a lot of the lizardfolks.”
She watched the pillar pass.
“Huh, I'd like to know more about that. Could you introduce me?”
Gwen playfully slapped her arm.
“One adventure at a time, Ally. Ain't no rush.”
They passed over the road, into the dark of the swamp with hanging mosses caressing their scalps, the subtle odor of swamp rot in the air and stagnant water.
“Everyone keep an eye out for spiders.”
Clarke said. Wormwood made a disgusted face.
“Ugh, spiders.”
“Scared?”
Wade asked, a little smug.
“No. They get their ichor everywhere and it's disgusting to clean up.”
Wade pulled to a stop, suddenly alert, scanning the trees, eyeing the water. He reached back for his mace and opened his mouth to say something to Clarke, cut off by his response.
“I hear it too.”
Through the winding trees came the rumble, the clatter of wood and wheels as a large wagon careened around the trail and into sight, a number of men clinging to the sides, shouting and urging for the cart to go faster.
The two parties looked at one another for just a moment before the horses of the other carriage turned, splashing into the water and the muck, the carriage tilting around them near to falling over. Gwen's arm darted out as it tilted too far, jerking hard on the wood and giving it just enough pull to keep it upright.
“Oy, catch, buddy!”
One of them yelled, tossing something curled and dark at Clarke. He caught it, the little body landing in his arms and spreading out into a tiny lizardfolk, scales still soft and eyes big and yellow. The cart was back on the trail and pounding away towards the marshland.
“Is that a baby?”
Alouella asked, reaching out to rub its face. Tiny lizard teeth bit at her hand and she cooed. Wade saw it and yelled, his face turning ashen as he snapped the reins in a panic, suddenly trying to turn around on the small path.
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“They were slavers! And if they're in that big of a hurry then we gotta-”
Alouella went rigid, her lip curling back.
“Slavers?”
She said, her voice ice cold. She whirled, looking after the carriage.
“That's...disgusting.”
She hissed, spitting the words out.
Her arms spread out and she crouched, a mandala forming under her feet, intricate patterns growing until all lines came together. She launched from the cart in a trail of yellow lightning that propelled her through the air, recasting each time her feet met the ground like a skipping bolt of electricity, pursuing the carriage out of the swamp.
They looked after her, then to the baby again, then to the rumbling of many feet splashing through the water, a troop of lizardfolk bearing down on them riding huge birds, long scaled legs keeping them high above the water, their plumage mottled colors of dark green and brown spots.
They surrounded the group quickly, each lizardfolk garbed in no more armor than their natural thick hide but carrying finely crafted weapons wrought in iron and styled in a manner promoting curved lines and pointy edges.
Clarke put his hands up as non threateningly as possible and everyone followed suit, baby offered up to the furious guards from Clarke's hands. Gwen pointed at it.
“We didn't take that, someone threw it at us.”
One of the lizardfolk dismounted. Easily seven feet tall, thick plated scales sweeping back on his head with thorny protrusions. Muscles bulged beneath his scales, his thick tail slapping the water every step on digitigrade legs.
His axe glinted in one hand, double bit and dripping blood into the water. He squinted at them each and at the cart, his face mashing up into anger.
“Half of you keep going after the other cart. Quickly, we lost time and I won't accept them getting away.”
They took off, birds streamlining as they sped off, the riders staying low on top. Clarke moved his arms, the lizardfolk tensing. He slowly extended the child to the leader. He took it in one hand, looking it over and then setting it on the ground.
“Run along little one. Find home.”
Its tail slapped and it barked a high pitched crackle. It ran off to the surprise of the group, back the way the lizardfolk had come. Clarke kept his expression neutral.
“We're just trying to pass through, we aren't with those slavers you were chasing. In fact, a friend of ours took off after them specifically to stop the salvers and rescue the children because she's very anti slavery and will likely have them waiting for you when they find your other hatchlings. We're not with them.”
It likely wouldn't help at all given the stubbornness of the average lizardfolk but Clarke made his best attempt to plead Alouella's case.
The lizards expression didn't change. He hissed and waved a hand at them, a signal that had all the lizardfolk hop from their mounts and advance on them.
“I don't know you or you-”
He pointed at Clarke and Gwen, and then his axe came up to Wade and Wormwood.
“But we lizardfolk don't have such short memories. You're with two known slavers and that makes you slavers too.”
Clarke snapped a harsh look at Wade who would only look down at his lap, a grim look set into his face. Wormwood shrugged when he got the same look.
“These things happen.”
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Alouella had overtaken the carriage easily but she didn't want to harm the horses and attacking the wheels would flip it and harm anyone inside. She swooped down, slavers pointing at her and crossbows coming to bear. Bolts whistled through the air but as fast as she was going, each jump alternating height made her difficult to hit.
She didn't have too long as a constant spell drained her mana steadily and she preferred to not waste herself on one battle.
“This might tingle.”
She came in close and her hand charged with electricity as she slapped one of the men on the shoulder, several hundred volts charging through him in an electric seizure that had him falling to the dirt and rolling limp across the grass. She caught the edge of the carriage and pulled herself up, two fingers jamming the next man in the neck for another electric shock that set him falling off the carriage to the ground.
The wind whipped at her and her hat flew off as she pulled herself along the side of the carriage to the front. She locked eyes with the driver who swung at her with a rusty sword, the horses wavering side to side as he tried to fight her off and drive. Hacked bits of the carriage flew off and Alouella leaped up once more ahead of the carriage, twisting to see him mid-flight, firing a bolt from her staff that caught him, shocking his body into convulsions until he slumped sideways into the seat. She landed on the ground to watch the horses slowly come to a standstill with no further orders.
They should all still be alive. No more fitting punishment for slavers than to be imprisoned.
She cautiously approached the side of the carriage and called out.
“If there's anyone in there surrender yourself and I promise you'll be treated fairly.”
The carriage was all wood, the windows covered over with thick boards nailed into the side and locked in place with metal bars.
She slowly circled the carriage waiting for any response and, satisfied that no other villains were hiding in it, approached. The lock on the door was easily overpowered, bursting apart with enough energy pumped into it and falling away. The door creaked open and she peered in, looking for any other humans but all she saw were the many glowing eyes of a dozen hatchlings all staring intently at her.
They came closer, slowly piling out the door in wads that crashed to the dirt. Each one pawing the grass, feeling at the unusual terrain and some turning their childlike attention to her, pulling at her robe and staff. She squealed, a sound they all tried to imitate in unison to a chorus of barks.
“You're all so adorable!”
She sighed, casting light into the air to become yellow butterflies that immediately captured the attention of the children. She could float them all but who knew how long she'd have to do that? Giving them all jumping powers seemed a recipe for disaster. She didn't know the way either.
She leaned against the cart and chastised herself for not realizing she already had a method of transportation but that wouldn't help her find the city.
The rumble across the marshland and view of several riders coming quickly gave her a little hope.
Good, you can always count on the local guards.