Chapter Two, Scene Three - Edited and changed

The caravan had set up camp in an abandoned farm. The fields were unkempt and overgrown, the pastures empty and the fences knocked down. Kestral had scouted the area and pronounced it safe but even so, Shoag had everybody clearing the area of tall grass and repairing the fences as best they could.

“Durjaan, it would be best if we placed the wagons in the closest paddock and picket the horses between them.” Shaog had discussed his plans with Murgena and the twins before approaching the caravan owner. “We have a nice clear spot where we can set up camp.”

“Why not use the farm house and barn,” Durjaan asked. “They seem sound enough. I must tell you, I do not relish another night out in the open and sleeping on the ground.”

“They are sound enough,” Shaog said. “But it would spread out our people. We would have to keep guards in the house and the barn. They are not mutually defensible. We are too few to be able to do that if we were to be attacked. Trust me, I would love a roof over my head too.”

The old merchant harrumphed but nodded agreement. “Fine, we do it your way. I hired you for your expertise. ‘Twould be foolish of me to ignore it. Yet I noticed the farmhouse had a full kitchen, complete with a real oven. Might your cook be of the mind to make us some real bread? Trail biscuits are nice and all.”

“No,” Shoag interrupted. “Trail biscuits are not nice at all. I am sure we can arrange for some real bread. Kestral found some ripe melons and apples. The farmers may have left, but it looks like they left some of their crops.”

Amuul had come up behind Shoag as he had talked with the merchant.

“Not left,” the ogre grumbled. “Dead. Found bodies.”

“Where? Kestral did not find any bodies when she scouted.” Shoag said.

“Long dead. Just bones,” Amuul replied. “Broken and gnawed upon, behind the barn. Whole family.”

“Keep this between us, OK?” Shoag said.

“Aye.” The ogre finished speaking and walked away, continuing his in detail search of the farm.

“I do believe that is the most I have ever heard him say at one time,” Durjaan said.

“Oh, he do talk. Get some ale in him and he likes to sing. Of course, it takes a special person to appreciate an ogre’s singing.” Shaog said.

“What kind of special person?”

“A deaf one.” Shoag’s answer left the merchant in a fit of laughter.

After a good meal, with fresh yeasty bread, the company bedded down for the night. The wagons formed a rough square around the camp. They had used some of the broken fencing to create temporary barriers between the wagons. This gave them room inside for the horses and small tents the caravan carried.

Not all of the guards slept in the tents. Shaog, Murgen and Amuul were used to sleeping among the stars and Grofded actually preferred it. However, Shaog made Talyssa sleep in a tent with Tra Lun. It seemed a good idea to have the girl under protection. Humans were frail compared to his people and she was young to boot. He had tucked her in earlier and held her hand as she fell asleep. It had become a nightly ritual. If he did not stay with her until she was asleep, she would wake up with nightmares.

Which was why he was surprised when she found him during his watch. The moon was low in the sky and a slight mist had crept up to blanket the land. And if a minotaur’s night sight was not as keen as an elf, their smell was very much superior. He had smelled her long before she had found him.

“A bit late for you to me up and around, missy,” he whispered.

“I had to warn you.” She whispered back. “Something bad is coming. I can feel it.”

“Something bad is coming? Shh, now. You probably just had a bad dream.” Shaog had many night terrors as a child. He assumed that human children did too.

“No,” the child was indignant and angry. “It was not a bad dream. I saw it coming. It is what killed and ate the family that lived her. She told me about it. It is huge and mean. With big teeth and angry eyes.”

“Someone from family, who is dead, told you about it? She warned you?” He said slowly. “She told you this creature ate them?”

“The mother told me. She can talk to me, but I can only sort of see the rest. They are standing by the front door of the farmhouse.” Talyssa pointed in the general direction of the house. “She told me it comes around occasionally, hunting. Now she says it is hunting us.”

“I have heard tales of people that could talk to the dead. I never really believed them.” He gathered the girl in his arms and said, “I don’t rightly know if I believe it now, but you have never lied to me, so I will take it upon faith that you can. Maybe you are touched by the gods.”

With that, he carried her over to Murgen and Amuul, kicking them away and warning them to be at the ready. “Wake everybody. Get everybody armed. We need bows and spears. Get the drovers at the ready, the horses might bolt.”

The two seasoned veterans reacted with arched eyebrows and muted looks of disbelief, but followed orders. Murgen trusted his cousin and Amuul was experienced enough to do as he was told. Within a minute, the whole caravan was awake and alert and Durjaan crept over to Shoag.

“What is going on?” The caravan master asked.

“There is a monster hunting us,” Talyssa answered. “It is what ate the family that lived here.”

“What did you say?” Durjaan tried unsuccessfully to hide his disbelief. “A monster, and it ate the family that lived here? Nonsense. This area has been settled for years. All the big creatures have been hunted down or run off. Whatever killed those people, it was not some monster.”

“Yes, she told me. The mother,” the girl replied calmly. “It has a large head with big teeth. It has black fur and scales and a tail with a stinger on it. It eats people.”

“Durjaan, the only people who know that we found the bodies were you, me and Amuul. There is no way for her to know. Since she has been with us, she has never, not once, lied or told stories. Maybe she can talk to the dead, maybe your gods have given the dead permission to warn us. And maybe she was just having a bad dream that seemed realistic,” Shoag said. “But what do we lose by taking precautions?”

The merchant looked long and hard at the girl before he answered, “You are right, what do we lose? Girl, I hope by all the good gods you are wrong. But my father raised only one fool and he does not walk in my boots.”

“Shoag, get your people ready. Get Grofded’s toy set up. If this thing is as bad as she says, we may need the heavy weapons.” Durjaan instructed.

“Everybody up!” shouted Shoag. “Get armored up and set a defensive perimeter. Grof, get your toy set up. Now.”

The caravan had been on alert for only a few minutes when the wind shifted. Shoag and Murgen smelled it immediately. It was distant, but getting stronger. Soon everybody could smell it. It was the smell of rotting flesh, like an open grave.

“She says it is close,” Talyssa said, her voice quiet with fear.

Then it was upon them. It appeared out of the misty shadows in front of the farmhouse and with a few leaps was among the wagons. The monster was seven feet tall at the front shoulder with a short, powerful neck that ended in an almost human head. It opened its mouth, revealing several rows of shark like teeth as it howled. The high piercing shriek spooked the horses that fought to break loose and flee.

Shoag was the first to react, taking his long broad bladed spear and driving it into the beast’s chest. But the blade skidded along the scaly hide and the beast casually knocked Shoag away.

The archers had taken up protected positions and were peppering the beast’s head with arrow after arrow. A lucky hit struck the large, glowing left eye.

Murgen had better luck. He came in on the monster’s blind side, his spear found a weakness behind the front leg, biting deep. It was a short victory. As soon as the creature felt the spear strike home, it spun around. Its claws raked Murgen’s armor, leaving large dents in the dwarven forged steel. The force of the blow knocked the large minotaur to the ground, winding him. That is when the group saw the creature’s scorpion like tail stab into the fallen warrior.

“No!” Shouted Shoag as he tried to get to his cousin’s side. He had lost his spear, but he struck out with his war axe with wild abandon. Amuul joined him, the seven foot long Ogre greatsword struck a stead beat against the creature’s neck and shoulder.

Durjaan and Grofded struck next, with the dwarf’s secret weapon. One of the wagons had been built to mount a small ballista that the dwarf had designed and built. The was a clever contraption of springs, pulleys and levers that threw a seven foot long, steel barbed spear with incredible strength. The first spear pierced the beast’s chest, striking deep.

The wound was grievous and the creature surely had to be dying. But the hellbeast fought on. Durjaan and Grofded worked furiously to rearm the weapon asn the others formed a circle around the creature. The archers kept up their rain of arrows while Amuul and Shoag took the fight in close, fighting as a team to keep the thing off balance and away from the unmoving Murgen.

The second shot from the ballista took the creature high in the neck, flying completely through the beast’s flesh and flying off into the darkness. But the blow ended the fight as the monster collapsed into a lifeless heap.

Senji beat Shoag to his cousin’s side checking the warrior for signs of life. “He be alive, but only barely. I know not what poison this creature carries or how to counteract it. Get his armor off. I can treat the wounds and clean them out as best I can, but,” she trailed off into silence as they worked to remove the damaged armor.

“Shoag,” Talyssa said. “Armana says.”

“Who is Armana,” Shoag asked.

“Armana is the, was the mother who warned me.” Talyssa answered. “She says she can help. But she says there are some risks.”

“What kind of risks,” Senji said.

“She cannot work her magic anymore.” Talyssa paused and took a deep breath, “She says she needs a vessel to work her magic. She says that I am the only vessel that she can use.”

“I cannot allow you to take that risk,” Shoag said softly, almost at a whisper. “I love my cousin like a brother. But he would not allow the risk any more than I can.”

“I swore and oath to protect you. It was,” he paused, “it was a serious oath, the most serious I could make. If I allow you to take this risk, I violate that oath. I would be shamed.”

“Forgive me, Shoag, but isn’t saving Murgen’s life is more important than your oath?” Senji interjected.

“You are unfamiliar in our ways, Senji. Among my people, the oath I gave is referred to as an Oath of Stone. There is no higher dishonor among the minotaur clans than to break that oath.” Shoag sighed, “It is to integral to who we are. Who I both Murgen and I am. He would understand.”

“Why is it that you minotaur are always more concerned with honor than life?” Talyssa said, in a strange tone. Personally, I think that saving a life is not a matter of honor, but a matter of right and wrong. You have the ability to save your cousin’s life, yet you let your misguided ideals block your ability to think and act.”

The three adults stood in stunned silence for a moment before Shoag asked, “You are the ghost, the witch woman?”

“Tsk, witch woman? That is highly offensive, but I will forgive your ignorance.” She replied. “Talyssa decided that you were not going to listen and invited me in. I am the spirit of Armana doLanges. In life, this was my home. You healing skills are impressive, Senji, daughter of Silleal. But your training will not help with these wounds.”

Senji was taken aback, “How do you know of my mother?”

“It is given to the spirits to know many things in death that were unknown in life, child.” Armana replied.

“Now, to the task at hand, Shoag. You misunderstand the dangers,” Armana turned to speak to Shoag directly. “The dangers are not to Talyssa or me. The dangers are to you and Murgen.”

“I do not understand. Yes, Murgen is near death, but I fail to see what danger that could possibly mean for me?” Shoag said in mild exasperation.

“You should speak less and listen more, minotaur.” Armana chided. “Healing magic takes energy. In life, I would have used my own energies. This child has great potential in the arts, but she is too young for me to use her energies in the magics. That leaves us with the undesirable choice of using another source.

“There are some who practice the arcane arts that would not hesitate to take the energy they need but that is a repugnant practice that my order works to stamp out wherever we find it. We equate that practice to Necromancy, which is evil,” Armana explained.

“Magic, at its core is the manipulation of the life energies of the world around us. I can take some of your life and give it to your cousin,” She said. “Imagine that your cousin is cup with small hole. The fluid within leaks out slowly, and if not stopped, will eventually be empty. I can heal that small hole, but his life force is very damaged. I need to place more water in his cup. I will take that water from your cup, Shoag, and pour it into his.”

“You will take some of my strength and give it to him? So be it. I ask it freely.” Shoag answered.

“You are his cousin, his blood. That family bond means that the magic will flow strong. Which is both good and bad.”

“I do not understand,” Senji said. “If it is how you say, the bond is strong, how can that be bad?”

“The risk is that the bond may be too strong to break,” Armana said softly. “Magic like this can become almost alive. I have seen spells like this go awry and link to two souls involved. One will feel what the other feels. They will often share thoughts, no matter the distance. In extreme cases, the two are linked so closely that they no longer have private thoughts. Once, I saw two souls so tightly bound that they behaved as one person and it drove them mad.”

“Murgen would do it for me,” Shoag said. “How could I do any less for him? We have taken risks together since we were but children. His wounds are not my fault, but if he dies and I could have done something about it, I will carry that guilt for the rest of my life.”

“Honor gives strength, my friend,” Durjaan said, clapping him on the shoulder. “But honor cuts as keenly as any blade.”

Durjaan turned to the healers, “Is there any chance Murgen will survive this without the magic?”

Senji shrugged her shoulders and Armana replied, “The creature was created with magic as a weapon and as such, the poison is magical in nature. The only way to cure it is to burn it out with my magic.”

“What does it take,” Shoag asked. “What do we have to do?”

“First, there are some things in my house you need to get,” Armana said. “We will need to move him into my workroom, but that is hidden under my kitchen. I will show you how to get into it. Then we can start.”