‘Where are you, Anite?!’ Bart’s voice echoed through the stone fortress. ‘Where aaaare youuuuu?!’
No one particularly enjoyed this.
‘If you shout once more, I will jam an arrow in your eye socket.’ Said a violent rat as she tiredly exited her sleeping quarters raising two fingers. ‘Make that eye sockets, actually.’
The girl was taken by the shoulders and heavily shaken. This too was not enjoyed.
‘I can’t find Anite anywhere! He’s not in his room and not anywhere and not replying to me neither.’
He was behaving very odd. Odder than usual. Perhaps life had broken him, again. In favor of his questionable mental state Brynn decided it would be mercy that he would live, for now.
‘Look,’ She stated with considerable reason and patience, ‘he probably just left the fortress early today. He has the power to move earth around, remember.’ As she swirled a single claw in a circle the rat just looked at her with big eyes.
‘But that would be so stupid…’
‘Point, case.’
‘Anite is gone??? He just got back! Where do you think he is? He wouldn’t have gone out would he? That would just be very stupid.’ Amethyst interjected after suddenly appearing.
‘You all don’t know him that well I see. Let’s just wake everybody up at once, I guess.’ Brynn sighed, ‘It’s going to be a long morning otherwise.’
---
It did not take too long for the group of seven rats to gather. Especially King seemed to take this seriously.
‘I believe it important to locate our young knight.’ He stated in his deep growl. ‘In the case of him being lost and in the case of him being not lost, the current situation is unsettling. His disappearance from our outpost is near treasonous.’
‘Poor Anite must be so scared all alone.’ Said Tess.
‘Poor Anite must be drinking the blood of the innocent.’ Clementine scoffed and rolled her eyes as she adjusted her red bow. ‘He’ll be back when his thirst is clenched.’
King grunted uncertainly. ‘It is unlikely for him to be far. However, it is necessary for him to be located. To make that a possibility I will develop the fortress further. Seeing how Anite plays a key role to the wall separating us from the labyrinth, I will create a door that is for your use. Meanwhile, the scouting party will prepare for travel. Amethyst will replace Anite for the time being. Now disband.’
---
Fully donned the three rat soldiers arrived at the passage. Brynn owned up to a bored expression unfit for leadership. She openly thought this entire mission was bollocks. Luckily for the terrified Amethyst, there was courage to be found in the brave Bart who kept himself with solemn silence and a stern expression. In her eyes he was quite impressive. Tall, strong and he even volunteered his own armor to her, replacing his own by the shirt that Anite had left in his room. Now he looked so cool with his mantle, his spear in hand and a wooden shield slung across his back.
King appeared from the shadows. ‘You look prepared. Let me show you how we will operate from here. As you can see, the wall has been replaced by a gate made of stone. While you are away, I will reinforce this gate with enchantments. It will take me away from my work, but this takes precedence. I will give you a key, so you can enter at will.’ He ceremoniously took out a small stone key on a stone chain and let it float in midair for all to behold its ingenuity. For a moment he froze as he looked at Brynn. Brynn looked back, bored, scowling. King cleared his throat in a guttural cough. ‘Bart will hold the key.’ He stated and the key slowly floated towards Bart. His back visibly straightened as he received the key with dignity. ‘Off you go now.’
Brynn sighed as Bart marched to the gate to open it.
Bart is so cool.
---
Bart did not think he was cool.
Bart thought he was rather terrified.
He thought the labyrinth was an awful scary place when Anite was here. And when he wasn’t, it scared him stiff. The same sentiment extended to Brynn, who seemed to rather kill him than keep him alive and had not had the chance to attach any of those feathers to her arrows by the looks of her quiver.
And then there was King. How could he give him the key, of all people? Is he out of his mind? When that thing started floating towards him, he nearly pooped himself. He had to control his entire being to not run away from it. In his mind now echoed the same phrase over and over. I’m gonna lose the damn key. The weight of it was unbearable. It was driving him mad.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Slowly the other rats left to their own jobs after they waved their goodbyes from the other side of the gate until Bart, Brynn and Amethyst were left alone.
‘So, mighty leader. Where shall we go?’ Brynn raised her arms with mocking devotion.
Bart couldn’t even muster to get upset at her mockery and looked around. The world swirled around him. Keep it together. He took a deep breath and squealed, ‘I think I faintly smell him over there?’
Too taken by his own emotional life, he missed Amethyst beaming with amazement and couldn’t hear Brynn’s low sigh.
‘I guess it’s as good of a start as any.’ Brynn muttered and took off at a slow strut, kicking stones and spitting on the ground. ‘What a shite morning.’
---
As they walked, Brynn grew more energetic. ‘You know, you might have been right on the money Bart. I believe I can smell a faint track. Fascinating. And I believe this path could lead to the lake we found.’
‘That’s incredible.’ The other girl joined in. ‘I think I’m picking up a smell as well. I guess you really take each other’s smells for granted when you’re always together.’
‘Oh, I never take Anite’s smell for granted.’ Assured Brynn with a smug face. ‘I always value it to its worth.’
‘That is really so nice of you Brynn. I guess since you’re such a good huntress you really have an eye for this thing… or a nose I should say.’ Laughed Amethyst, impressed by her own quick wit.
‘No, it is low.’ The huntress quickly interjected seriously. ‘I value it low. I’m saying his smell is bad.’
‘Oh.’
‘Let there be no mistake.’
A silence fell over them as Bart stiffly continued to put one paw in front of another and Brynn her good mood was thwarted by a positive attitude. Finally, she severed the quiet.
‘Anyway, it makes sense that he’s there I suppose. He had been acting strange. He was just staring at the water the last time, waiting for us to fill the canister.’
Slowly they walked and the faint smell grew a bit stronger, until they reached the cave with the lake and the smell suddenly disappeared.
‘Well, that is odd.’ Brynn stated.
‘So ominous.’ Amethyst chimed in. ‘I bet he’s gone to swim… but then he wouldn’t still be in there would he?’
Bart audibly swallowed.
All three rats sniffed around a bit, confusedly, until a bright flash and the appearance of a strange, illuminated creature, floating angrily in midair. The rats squinted their eyes and leaned back with their arms protecting them from falling drops of water.
‘I present myself to you, mortals.’
‘EEEK.’
‘EEEEEEEK.’ Screamed two rats and Brynn exclaimed.
‘Where the fuck did you come from? And how could I not see you? That scares me to shits.’
The fairy scoffed. ‘Please, your ghastly blessing is nothing to me. Stupid mortal, you should feel blessed that I show myself of my own accord, because… because you, uhm.’ The fairy frowned, cleared her throat, spread her arms, and took a more formal voice. ‘I present myself to you because you have been chosen.’
‘Look… lady,’ Brynn started, ‘we’re just looking for our friend.’
‘QUIET MORTAL!!!’ Echoed through the cave with rage and lightning. Then it subsided. ‘I am speaking.’ She directed herself to Bart. ‘You there, rat. You scream with just the right amount of fear and respect. I will offer this to you.’ As she said that the water of the lake pulled back, revealing a sword protruding from the ground by its hilt. ‘This is a powerful sword, enchanted by a powerful wizard, and further imbued with my own mystical magic. If you prove worthy to pull it out of the ground, you will, uhmmm… something good, I think. Oh, yes!! You, rat, you will become king.’ She stated spreading her arms in great dignity and showmanship, swirling around the sword with a convincing grin in a whirlpool of sparkling blue raindrops and crystals of ice.
For a moment all rats gaped at the fairy. They knew this sword. They knew the fairy was shitting them. Brynn also knew, instinctively, you do not fuck with fairies. She slapped Bart on the shoulder and told him to go. Bart Whimpered, ‘Uwwuwuwuwuuu’ as he jogged towards the sword and drew it from the ground.
The fairy sighed with relief and laid down in the air. Cautiously Brynn asked her, ‘Excuse me we’re looking for our friend, a grey rat, kind of annoying?’
The fairy waved a casual hand at her. ‘Oh yeah, sounds familiar, I think I banished him from here. As a token of goodwill, I offer you this knowledge. He should be two zones that way.’ She pointed back to where the rats came from. The rats nodded.
Bart walked back and Brynn stated, ‘I think we should go.’
The fairy let them know she agreed as she contently laid in midair. The rats scurried away into the tunnel. As she shouted after them. ‘And don’t ever come back to my lake!’ And they didn’t think they would.
---
Initially Bart was glad to be back, but this was short lived. After hearing them out King decided that the mission should be extended. They would go to find Anite at all costs and would not return before they succeeded. They should prepare for a long journey. Mentally, that is. In fact, there were no more possessions they could gather and since time was of the essence, they could rest on the road, which excited Bart to the extent that his heart was ready to leap from his throat.
There was one blessing. ‘None of us should underestimate the dangers of the labyrinth.’ He said, which at same time comforted as scared Bart. If King shouldn’t underestimate this place, how should tiny old Bart feel about it? So, to soften the blow King and Tess had prepared special armor for the group. Vests and helmets made of stone, strapped together by leather.
In a sudden moment, King howled. Around them the air seemed to shudder before the shadows around them grew to a large cloud of smoke. The three rats were on their guard, they didn't understand what was happening. Before they could voice their concerns the smoke washed over them, swallowing them whole. Bart couldn't see a thing. Everything was black. He shouted in distress, his call returned by Amethyst. They walked to find each others hands, but just as their fingertips touched the smoke began to fade. They looked into their flushed faces. Then they turned to find Brynn, bored as ever.
'This enchantment will conceal you in your moments of strive. The shadows will emit a dark smoke to obstruct you from anyone's vision.' King said, his guttural voice contorted to a mockery of concern, and indeed the armour emanated a strange shadow.
To Amethyst Tess handed a bag of similarly enchanted arrowheads. She should know what to do with it. Immediately she beamed and ran off to get her bag of feathers. Then King aimed himself at Bart and from the ground they walked on he created a scabbard. ‘You will need this to hold Anite his sword. Use it well.’ And with some rope from Tess, they were able to sling it across his back. As they stood by the gate Clementine and Belial recited some poetry for travelers, but let's not talk about that, since it was far more depressing than inspiring.
It was time to leave the nest. They didn’t know where their target was. They didn’t know how long this would take. Brynn managed to phrase their sentiments quite well.
‘If Anite turns up dead, I'll be fucking pissed.’