A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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ellinor
Explorer
Yes indeedy! The derro warren is where both Twiggy and Tavi get to make extensive use of their abilities to flambé the opposition. Although Twiggy has decidedly mixed feelings about the "flaming ball of death," as Kormick calls it. And you should hear what Acorn has to say about it.
Still, it's a pretty amazing tool. As I recall, Fajitas' reaction to that fight -- in which the entire party passed up the opportunity for a short rest between combats so that Twiggy could maintain her daily power into a second combat and essentially vaporize all the mooks in the surprise round -- was something along the lines of "well, that was not at all how I expected that combat to go."
Sadly, he now knows better.
Still, it's a pretty amazing tool. As I recall, Fajitas' reaction to that fight -- in which the entire party passed up the opportunity for a short rest between combats so that Twiggy could maintain her daily power into a second combat and essentially vaporize all the mooks in the surprise round -- was something along the lines of "well, that was not at all how I expected that combat to go."
Sadly, he now knows better.
5x01
I believed I was ready for this, Savina thought. As they had entered the derro caves, she had steeled herself for the trial to come. Innocent children needed rescue, and, as a Blessed Daughter of Alirria, it was Savina's duty to help: that got her into the tunnel. Corani was pregnant and recovering from injury, and, as a healer, it was Savina's duty to keep her patient safe: that got her onto the battlefield. Then Arden came under attack, and, as a member of the noble house of di Infusino, it was Savina's duty to care for her own: that got her to strike out at the derro. But she'd killed him. And she had not been ready for that.
Now she stood in the dim barracks-room, in the reeking aftermath of the second battle, feeling numb. Kormick and Tavi were investigating the pit, studying the frayed ropes that dangled above it and attempting to peer into its gloom. Mena was collecting Rose from her hiding-place in the hallway. Corani was at the far side of the room, her ax rising and falling methodically -- Savina tried not to look too closely.
Twiggy sat against the wall, looking as shaken as Savina felt. Nearby, Arden wiped her sword clean on a rag torn from a derro's cloak. Her movements lacked force and her face was drawn; some clinical part of Savina's mind diagnosed blood loss and exhaustion and prescribed a long rest.
Twiggy asked, as Savina had earlier, "Arden, are you all right?"
"I hate this place," Arden snapped. Twiggy blinked, and Savina was jolted out of her reverie for a moment, too, at the slave's uncharacteristic harshness. Arden caught herself immediately. "I'm sorry, Lady Chelesta," she muttered to Twiggy. "I'll be fine."
Mena and Rose returned. "Are there any derro left alive to question?" asked Mena.
Kormick laughed in response and pointed at Corani. Savina followed his finger just in time to see Corani whack some appendage off another corpse. Savina doubled over and was sick again.
When she straightened, Mena was beside her. "Think about the smell of mint," she advised. "Fresh from the garden, in summertime."
Savina thought about it. "I . . . I used to like mint," she whispered doubtfully.
"I really, really hate to say this," said Kormick, "but I think we should make ourselves aware of what's in that pit."
"Mena, grab that rope and give me a hand," called Tavi. "We're going to lower Kormick down to take a look."
"Why me, exactly?" Kormick demanded.
"We'll tie a rope around you," answered Tavi.
"I see what you did there," said Kormick. Tavi smirked. "The lake, this morning, har har. . ."
Mena handed a rope to Kormick.
"How can I refuse," sighed the Justicar, taking the rope.
Mena helped Tavi lower Kormick down into the pit. Watching them, Savina suppressed a wild urge to laugh at the Justicar dangling like bait on a hook. What's wrong with me? That's not funny!
She heard Kormick's voice from the darkness below. "Lower . . . lower . . . okay. Stop. Hmmm. Interesting . . . disgusting . . . intriguing . . . and yes! Time to leave! Up we go!" Mena and Tavi heaved, and soon Kormick was grabbing the rim of the pit and pulling himself up.
"It was a vast chamber containing a number of troublingly large mushrooms," he reported. "And then I heard something scuffling toward me, and I decided not to wait to see what it was. I suggest that we not enter that lower level unless we have no choice."
"Yes, because the Ketkath has a long and proud history of plants that will mess you up," said Twiggy, with a flash of her usual spirit. "Let's not test the fungi."
"That would argue against following the passage that led downward from the entrance chamber," mused Mena.
"This corridor keeps going a good way beyond this pit," said Tavi. "Let's move ahead."
Mena looked dubiously at the wide gap and the questionable ropes dangling above it, the only means of swinging across. Then she looked back at Rose and Savina.
"I'm not sure we can all cross the pit safely," she said.
"We could send a scout," said Tavi.
"No – that person would be cut off and vulnerable."
"Come," said Kormick, "what are slaves for? Arden!" He tugged a rope to see if it was sturdy. It gave way in his hand.
Savina was vaguely aware that Arden had cast a cursory glance at her for permission, but she still felt so numb. Seeing no objection from her mistress, Arden silently turned and walked toward the Justicar.
"You don't have to go," Mena told the slave, glaring at Kormick. Mena's armor backed up her words, hissing and growling. Kormick had continued testing ropes, and now he handed one to Arden. "Do your sneaky thing," he told her. "And remember that cloak you're wearing."
"Yes, Justicar." Arden swung smoothly across the pit, landing lightly on the other side. She set off down the corridor and soon vanished into the shadows.
Mena was still glaring at Kormick.
"What?" he demanded. "Owning a sneaky murder-slave is like owning an attack dog. You must give her regular exercise if you don't want her to turn on you."
"I'm growing tired of these jokes," said Mena. "Arden is not a pet, and you know it."
"Put away your wrath, illustrious Dame Mena. Of course I know it."
What a strange conversation, Savina thought. But I'm glad Arden is able to be useful. She was still trying her best to think about mint, but then Twiggy asked a question that forced her to think about all the worst things after all.
"Mena? Kormick? Does killing ever not feel horrible?"
Kormick eyed Mena like a student trying to guess the correct answer. "I'm going to say . . . no?"
"No," agreed Mena.
Behind her, Kormick caught Tavi's eye and rolled his eyes. Tavi stifled a laugh.
"Killing never gets easier," Mena was continuing. "And that is a good thing. It must never become an act that you perform lightly. I see that face you're making, Kormick."
"Well, well," said Kormick, unperturbed. "Dame Mena is right, kids. Killing should never be fun. Let's merely say that sometimes, when the cause is – you know – just and so forth – killing can be deeply, deeply . . . satisfying."
For some reason, although naturally she found his words troubling, Kormick's cheerful demeanor reassured Savina. Tavi was smiling, too, and that also helped. Not everyone felt like the world was ending, so maybe it wasn't. Maybe things would be all right. Maybe, right now, Arden was opening a door and freeing all the dwarven prisoners – maybe they'd all be back outside in only a few more minutes –
From far away down the corridor came a sound. A bestial snarl.
###
Arden crept down the corridor reluctantly, straining to hear the conversation she was leaving behind. Did Alleged just call me a dog . . .?!
An occasional sputtering torch dimly lit her way. She passed a smaller entrance on her right, the narrow tunnel beyond it sloping upwards. She saw no light up there, and a little light up ahead, so she kept going forward toward the light and, as she got closer, the sound of voices.
Her gaze focused up ahead, she nearly fell into a second pit. She glimpsed it just in time, found the ropes above it and swung easily across, landing near the corner where the hallway turned.
First the barracks, now the dining hall, she realized in discouragement, as she peered around the corner and into a large room full of rowdy derro sitting at long tables, eating and drinking and speaking their guttural, incomprehensible language. There was no sign of the dwarven prisoners. On the left-hand side of the room, a spiral staircase led up to a landing and another tunnel. On the right-hand side, a heavy barred door was set into the wall. Arden locked her gaze onto it: That looks promising.
She scanned the derro again, noticing that they were all armed. Suddenly, a face poked out from under one of the tables, between the legs of the derro. It belonged to a lizard the size of a dog, with its tongue lolling out over its fangs – and it was looking straight at her.
Arden pulled back around the corner, flattening herself against the wall, breathing hard. She held still for a long time, praying that the creature would lose interest. Finally, she dared to peek around the corner.
The lizard was right in front of her. And it sprang.
Arden jumped backwards into the corridor. The creature landed inches from her, its claws scrabbling on the stone. It snarled, a loud sound that rolled down the corridor behind her. It leapt at her again and, this time, sank its teeth into her thigh. Arden felt her flesh tear, and she clenched her jaw shut against the pain, not making a sound, hoping that the derro hadn't noticed what their pet was up to. For the first time, she felt perversely grateful to Unssa, that fiend, who'd insisted that slaves under the lash be seen and not heard.
Then she felt emptiness behind her heels and realized that if she backed up any more, she'd plummet into the pit. Her hands caught her cloak and pulled it around her protectively. In the split second before its magic activated, she had a flash of doubt – They've lied to me, it's not magic, I'm dead – and then –
I believed I was ready for this, Savina thought. As they had entered the derro caves, she had steeled herself for the trial to come. Innocent children needed rescue, and, as a Blessed Daughter of Alirria, it was Savina's duty to help: that got her into the tunnel. Corani was pregnant and recovering from injury, and, as a healer, it was Savina's duty to keep her patient safe: that got her onto the battlefield. Then Arden came under attack, and, as a member of the noble house of di Infusino, it was Savina's duty to care for her own: that got her to strike out at the derro. But she'd killed him. And she had not been ready for that.
Now she stood in the dim barracks-room, in the reeking aftermath of the second battle, feeling numb. Kormick and Tavi were investigating the pit, studying the frayed ropes that dangled above it and attempting to peer into its gloom. Mena was collecting Rose from her hiding-place in the hallway. Corani was at the far side of the room, her ax rising and falling methodically -- Savina tried not to look too closely.
Twiggy sat against the wall, looking as shaken as Savina felt. Nearby, Arden wiped her sword clean on a rag torn from a derro's cloak. Her movements lacked force and her face was drawn; some clinical part of Savina's mind diagnosed blood loss and exhaustion and prescribed a long rest.
Twiggy asked, as Savina had earlier, "Arden, are you all right?"
"I hate this place," Arden snapped. Twiggy blinked, and Savina was jolted out of her reverie for a moment, too, at the slave's uncharacteristic harshness. Arden caught herself immediately. "I'm sorry, Lady Chelesta," she muttered to Twiggy. "I'll be fine."
Mena and Rose returned. "Are there any derro left alive to question?" asked Mena.
Kormick laughed in response and pointed at Corani. Savina followed his finger just in time to see Corani whack some appendage off another corpse. Savina doubled over and was sick again.
When she straightened, Mena was beside her. "Think about the smell of mint," she advised. "Fresh from the garden, in summertime."
Savina thought about it. "I . . . I used to like mint," she whispered doubtfully.
"I really, really hate to say this," said Kormick, "but I think we should make ourselves aware of what's in that pit."
"Mena, grab that rope and give me a hand," called Tavi. "We're going to lower Kormick down to take a look."
"Why me, exactly?" Kormick demanded.
"We'll tie a rope around you," answered Tavi.
"I see what you did there," said Kormick. Tavi smirked. "The lake, this morning, har har. . ."
Mena handed a rope to Kormick.
"How can I refuse," sighed the Justicar, taking the rope.
Mena helped Tavi lower Kormick down into the pit. Watching them, Savina suppressed a wild urge to laugh at the Justicar dangling like bait on a hook. What's wrong with me? That's not funny!
She heard Kormick's voice from the darkness below. "Lower . . . lower . . . okay. Stop. Hmmm. Interesting . . . disgusting . . . intriguing . . . and yes! Time to leave! Up we go!" Mena and Tavi heaved, and soon Kormick was grabbing the rim of the pit and pulling himself up.
"It was a vast chamber containing a number of troublingly large mushrooms," he reported. "And then I heard something scuffling toward me, and I decided not to wait to see what it was. I suggest that we not enter that lower level unless we have no choice."
"Yes, because the Ketkath has a long and proud history of plants that will mess you up," said Twiggy, with a flash of her usual spirit. "Let's not test the fungi."
"That would argue against following the passage that led downward from the entrance chamber," mused Mena.
"This corridor keeps going a good way beyond this pit," said Tavi. "Let's move ahead."
Mena looked dubiously at the wide gap and the questionable ropes dangling above it, the only means of swinging across. Then she looked back at Rose and Savina.
"I'm not sure we can all cross the pit safely," she said.
"We could send a scout," said Tavi.
"No – that person would be cut off and vulnerable."
"Come," said Kormick, "what are slaves for? Arden!" He tugged a rope to see if it was sturdy. It gave way in his hand.
Savina was vaguely aware that Arden had cast a cursory glance at her for permission, but she still felt so numb. Seeing no objection from her mistress, Arden silently turned and walked toward the Justicar.
"You don't have to go," Mena told the slave, glaring at Kormick. Mena's armor backed up her words, hissing and growling. Kormick had continued testing ropes, and now he handed one to Arden. "Do your sneaky thing," he told her. "And remember that cloak you're wearing."
"Yes, Justicar." Arden swung smoothly across the pit, landing lightly on the other side. She set off down the corridor and soon vanished into the shadows.
Mena was still glaring at Kormick.
"What?" he demanded. "Owning a sneaky murder-slave is like owning an attack dog. You must give her regular exercise if you don't want her to turn on you."
"I'm growing tired of these jokes," said Mena. "Arden is not a pet, and you know it."
"Put away your wrath, illustrious Dame Mena. Of course I know it."
What a strange conversation, Savina thought. But I'm glad Arden is able to be useful. She was still trying her best to think about mint, but then Twiggy asked a question that forced her to think about all the worst things after all.
"Mena? Kormick? Does killing ever not feel horrible?"
Kormick eyed Mena like a student trying to guess the correct answer. "I'm going to say . . . no?"
"No," agreed Mena.
Behind her, Kormick caught Tavi's eye and rolled his eyes. Tavi stifled a laugh.
"Killing never gets easier," Mena was continuing. "And that is a good thing. It must never become an act that you perform lightly. I see that face you're making, Kormick."
"Well, well," said Kormick, unperturbed. "Dame Mena is right, kids. Killing should never be fun. Let's merely say that sometimes, when the cause is – you know – just and so forth – killing can be deeply, deeply . . . satisfying."
For some reason, although naturally she found his words troubling, Kormick's cheerful demeanor reassured Savina. Tavi was smiling, too, and that also helped. Not everyone felt like the world was ending, so maybe it wasn't. Maybe things would be all right. Maybe, right now, Arden was opening a door and freeing all the dwarven prisoners – maybe they'd all be back outside in only a few more minutes –
From far away down the corridor came a sound. A bestial snarl.
###
Arden crept down the corridor reluctantly, straining to hear the conversation she was leaving behind. Did Alleged just call me a dog . . .?!
An occasional sputtering torch dimly lit her way. She passed a smaller entrance on her right, the narrow tunnel beyond it sloping upwards. She saw no light up there, and a little light up ahead, so she kept going forward toward the light and, as she got closer, the sound of voices.
Her gaze focused up ahead, she nearly fell into a second pit. She glimpsed it just in time, found the ropes above it and swung easily across, landing near the corner where the hallway turned.
First the barracks, now the dining hall, she realized in discouragement, as she peered around the corner and into a large room full of rowdy derro sitting at long tables, eating and drinking and speaking their guttural, incomprehensible language. There was no sign of the dwarven prisoners. On the left-hand side of the room, a spiral staircase led up to a landing and another tunnel. On the right-hand side, a heavy barred door was set into the wall. Arden locked her gaze onto it: That looks promising.
She scanned the derro again, noticing that they were all armed. Suddenly, a face poked out from under one of the tables, between the legs of the derro. It belonged to a lizard the size of a dog, with its tongue lolling out over its fangs – and it was looking straight at her.
Arden pulled back around the corner, flattening herself against the wall, breathing hard. She held still for a long time, praying that the creature would lose interest. Finally, she dared to peek around the corner.
The lizard was right in front of her. And it sprang.
Arden jumped backwards into the corridor. The creature landed inches from her, its claws scrabbling on the stone. It snarled, a loud sound that rolled down the corridor behind her. It leapt at her again and, this time, sank its teeth into her thigh. Arden felt her flesh tear, and she clenched her jaw shut against the pain, not making a sound, hoping that the derro hadn't noticed what their pet was up to. For the first time, she felt perversely grateful to Unssa, that fiend, who'd insisted that slaves under the lash be seen and not heard.
Then she felt emptiness behind her heels and realized that if she backed up any more, she'd plummet into the pit. Her hands caught her cloak and pulled it around her protectively. In the split second before its magic activated, she had a flash of doubt – They've lied to me, it's not magic, I'm dead – and then –
*laughing* Yes, yes she could.
5x02
Arden staggered backward, suddenly on the far side of the second pit from the pacing, snarling lizard-dog. The amazing thought that she'd been magically teleported twice within the last hour – once by Signor Octavian and again, just now, by her cloak – flashed distantly across her mind, but mostly she was distracted by the creature across from her and the pain in her injured leg.
###
Back near the barracks room, the snarling from down the hall got everyone's attention. Savina felt chills cascade down her spine. As the echo died away, Twiggy leaped to her feet. "Arden's in trouble!" she said.
Kormick and Mena didn't have time to register full objections as Twiggy took off, running toward the first pit.
"Wait, no – "
"Stop –"
Twiggy vanished, fey-stepping across the pit. She re-appeared on the other side and continued running down the corridor.
Kormick gave an aggrieved sigh, backed up for a running start, jumped the pit, and followed Twiggy.
"Rose –" said Mena.
"I've got you," Tavi told his sister.
Mena jumped the pit and waited anxiously on the other side as Tavi solicitously picked up Rose and jumped across with her in his arms.
Savina felt a flash of panic as she watched her companions cross the pit. They're going to leave me behind! She couldn't possibly jump the pit, and she lacked the strength to make it across one of the ropes. She stood, her eyes growing wider and wider as she considered the possibilities. None of them were good.
Suddenly, Tavi was back, beside her.
"Do you trust me?" he asked, holding out his hand.
Savina nodded mutely and put her hand in his.
He led her toward the pit. He took her staff and tossed it carefully across to Mena. Then he picked her up in his arms and cradled her against his body. Savina twined her arms around him, feeling the slight dampness on the back of his neck. She was aware of the heat of him, the strangely attractive smell of his exertion. Her heart pounding, not only from fear, she buried her face in his strong shoulder and felt his muscles tense as he jumped. For an instant, she was weightless in his arms, and then they landed with a thump on the far side.
Tavi set her down, but Savina was trembling so hard that she almost fell. Tavi caught her gently by the shoulders and held her, looking into her eyes.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
She looked back at him, still unable to speak.
"No!" yelled Mena, interrupting Savina's reverie. "Corani, don't be a fool – Tavi, stop her!"
Tavi wheeled away from Savina and they all watched in horror as the pregnant dwarf launched herself into the air. Her jump carried her across the pit, but only to the very, very edge. Mena grabbed her and the two staggered, on the brink of disaster, until Mena threw all her weight backwards and Tavi helped to catch them as they fell to the ground, safe.
Mena, Tavi, Savina, and Rose assisted Corani to her feet. "I must rescue my family," she said, daring them to argue.
"But … you must care for your baby, too," said Savina, aghast at the risks this mother-to-be was taking. The dwarf stared at her defiantly.
Mena sighed.
"Come on," said Tavi. "We've lost a lot of time."
They found Arden, Twiggy, and Kormick farther down the dim corridor, near the second pit. Light spilled toward them from a room across that pit, around the corner ahead. Everything was silent. Kormick was standing guard, his crossbow ready. Arden was kneeling nearby, doing her best to bind up a bleeding wound on her thigh. Twiggy was helping her.
"What's the situation?" whispered Tavi.
Twiggy jumped up and joined them, whispering quickly. "Stand-off. Arden says there's a lot more derro around that corner. They didn't see her, but a greenish-brown lizard-dog-like thing attacked her. I caught a glimpse of it – it was ugly – but it ran back around the corner. Then all the derro in there got quiet, and they've stayed that way. So here we are."
"They'll be back," said Kormick, "and I'm not wildly enthusiastic about our strategic position, trapped between two pits."
"I saw a side opening back there," Tavi suggested. "It might lead to an exit."
"It might also lead to ten derro chieftains at the head of an army of attack trees," Kormick said. "But either way, I guess we should find out. Slave, get yourself off the front line and do something useful."
Arden dragged herself to her feet and set off down the corridor toward the side opening, limping only slightly. Savina was glad that her wound didn't seem severe.
"Tavi," ordered Mena. "You should go with Arden."
Tavi looked slightly bemused at Mena's tone, but then he hurried after Arden. He never hesitates to confront danger, mused Savina, watching after him as long as she could.
###
Arden crept up the side tunnel behind Tavi, her dagger at the ready. The tunnel was narrower than the main corridor and sloped up steeply until it dead-ended in a shut door.
At Tavi’s gesture, Arden knelt and checked it. "It's not locked, Signor," she said. "Shall I -- ?"
He nodded. Arden eased the door open a few inches. She thought she had steeled herself for anything in this godsforsaken hellhole, but what she saw surprised her: under the green glow of moss, a derro woman rocked in a rocking chair, engaged in some derro version of knitting. Another woman carried more coals to a cozy fire, then sat down in a second chair and began spinning coarse yarn with a spindle.
As Tavi looked in over her shoulder, Arden wondered if he would order her to attack the two women. She waited. And waited. Finally, she risked glancing up at him just as he looked down at her. "Should we take them out?" he whispered, obviously uncertain.
She felt sympathy for the young nobleman confronted with a tough call: either kill two apparently peaceful people or risk them becoming a threat later on. She also felt relief that this wasn't her tough call. Enjoy the burden of freedom, Signor, she thought at him. Out loud, she whispered politely, "Whatever you will, Signor Octavian."
He looked startled, then slightly disgusted with himself, as if he had only just remembered who she was. "Right," he sighed. He thought for a split second more, then made his decision. "Close the door," he told her. "We're going back."
Arden closed the door as silently as she'd opened it. As they started back down the corridor, Tavi had an idea. "Can you lock them in?" he asked.
"The door has no lock, Signor, but – "
Arden pulled out her dagger and wedged it as solidly as she could between the door and the rough frame. It wasn't much of a barrier, but it would have to do.
###
Just before they reached the main corridor, Tavi heard Kormick speak out loud, a shock after all the whispering. "Well, hello!" he said. Then came the swish-thunk of a bolt flying true from his crossbow.
Tavi and Arden raced back to the front, passing Savina, Rose, and Corani, who had retreated from the second pit.
"What happened?" demanded Tavi as he reached the pit's edge.
"One of the derro poked his head around the corner and I shot him most magnificently through the eye," answered Kormick. "His comrades dragged him back into the room. Tell me you found a backdoor to the outside world."
"No," said Tavi. "It was kind of weird –"
Before he could say more, two derro soldiers jogged around the corner ahead, carrying the dead body of their comrade, the crossbow bolt still protruding from its eye.
"Ah, kind of them. They've come to show you my precise shooting," said Kormick, lining up a second shot. But then, with a violent motion, the derro heaved the corpse with all their strength across the pit. It slammed into Kormick, knocking him to the floor. Before anyone could react, the two derro leaped across the pit after their comrade, drawing short swords. Behind them, three more derro swarmed out of the room with – Tavi groaned without surprise – crossbows.
The battle went badly from the start. Tavi defended Kormick as best he could until the Justicar managed to arise, but between the derro flanking him, the archers across the pit, and the pit itself, he didn't have a lot of space to maneuver. Neither did Mena, who lacked a ranged weapon and had trouble getting close enough to hit the two nearby enemies. The slave, usually nimble with either a blade or her sling, seemed hampered by her injuries: only a few of her blows landed, and none with much force. Slowly but surely, the derro established more of a foothold on the party’s side of the pit. As they did, one whistled. A pair of the lizard-dogs came raging around the corner and leaped across the pit to join the fray.
You've got ’em, buzzed Phoebe. Sure, it's exciting right now, but you're going to be fine!
As long as those derro women don't make trouble, Tavi thought back, swinging with such artistry that the derro recoiled from the shock seemingly even before Tavi's blade made contact.
They were boring. That was a great hit! Do it again!
###
Farther down the hall, near the junction with the side corridor, Rose waited. Savina and Corani had been with her, but Corani had, as usual, attempted to race toward the fight, and Savina had followed her, begging her to stop. Rose hugged herself and dared to look past Savina and Corani to the battle itself. Through the dimness, she could glimpse a tangle of arms, legs, and snapping lizard jaws accompanied by grunting and snarling and fragmented shouts of instruction. It made her skin crawl, and yet – I asked for this, in a way, she thought to Whisper. Is this my destiny? Will pain and death always find me?
There was a noise from the side corridor, a clinking and scraping.
Arden's dagger came skittering down the passageway to rest at her feet.
That, she thought, one eyebrow arching, can’t be good…
Arden staggered backward, suddenly on the far side of the second pit from the pacing, snarling lizard-dog. The amazing thought that she'd been magically teleported twice within the last hour – once by Signor Octavian and again, just now, by her cloak – flashed distantly across her mind, but mostly she was distracted by the creature across from her and the pain in her injured leg.
###
Back near the barracks room, the snarling from down the hall got everyone's attention. Savina felt chills cascade down her spine. As the echo died away, Twiggy leaped to her feet. "Arden's in trouble!" she said.
Kormick and Mena didn't have time to register full objections as Twiggy took off, running toward the first pit.
"Wait, no – "
"Stop –"
Twiggy vanished, fey-stepping across the pit. She re-appeared on the other side and continued running down the corridor.
Kormick gave an aggrieved sigh, backed up for a running start, jumped the pit, and followed Twiggy.
"Rose –" said Mena.
"I've got you," Tavi told his sister.
Mena jumped the pit and waited anxiously on the other side as Tavi solicitously picked up Rose and jumped across with her in his arms.
Savina felt a flash of panic as she watched her companions cross the pit. They're going to leave me behind! She couldn't possibly jump the pit, and she lacked the strength to make it across one of the ropes. She stood, her eyes growing wider and wider as she considered the possibilities. None of them were good.
Suddenly, Tavi was back, beside her.
"Do you trust me?" he asked, holding out his hand.
Savina nodded mutely and put her hand in his.
He led her toward the pit. He took her staff and tossed it carefully across to Mena. Then he picked her up in his arms and cradled her against his body. Savina twined her arms around him, feeling the slight dampness on the back of his neck. She was aware of the heat of him, the strangely attractive smell of his exertion. Her heart pounding, not only from fear, she buried her face in his strong shoulder and felt his muscles tense as he jumped. For an instant, she was weightless in his arms, and then they landed with a thump on the far side.
Tavi set her down, but Savina was trembling so hard that she almost fell. Tavi caught her gently by the shoulders and held her, looking into her eyes.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
She looked back at him, still unable to speak.
"No!" yelled Mena, interrupting Savina's reverie. "Corani, don't be a fool – Tavi, stop her!"
Tavi wheeled away from Savina and they all watched in horror as the pregnant dwarf launched herself into the air. Her jump carried her across the pit, but only to the very, very edge. Mena grabbed her and the two staggered, on the brink of disaster, until Mena threw all her weight backwards and Tavi helped to catch them as they fell to the ground, safe.
Mena, Tavi, Savina, and Rose assisted Corani to her feet. "I must rescue my family," she said, daring them to argue.
"But … you must care for your baby, too," said Savina, aghast at the risks this mother-to-be was taking. The dwarf stared at her defiantly.
Mena sighed.
"Come on," said Tavi. "We've lost a lot of time."
They found Arden, Twiggy, and Kormick farther down the dim corridor, near the second pit. Light spilled toward them from a room across that pit, around the corner ahead. Everything was silent. Kormick was standing guard, his crossbow ready. Arden was kneeling nearby, doing her best to bind up a bleeding wound on her thigh. Twiggy was helping her.
"What's the situation?" whispered Tavi.
Twiggy jumped up and joined them, whispering quickly. "Stand-off. Arden says there's a lot more derro around that corner. They didn't see her, but a greenish-brown lizard-dog-like thing attacked her. I caught a glimpse of it – it was ugly – but it ran back around the corner. Then all the derro in there got quiet, and they've stayed that way. So here we are."
"They'll be back," said Kormick, "and I'm not wildly enthusiastic about our strategic position, trapped between two pits."
"I saw a side opening back there," Tavi suggested. "It might lead to an exit."
"It might also lead to ten derro chieftains at the head of an army of attack trees," Kormick said. "But either way, I guess we should find out. Slave, get yourself off the front line and do something useful."
Arden dragged herself to her feet and set off down the corridor toward the side opening, limping only slightly. Savina was glad that her wound didn't seem severe.
"Tavi," ordered Mena. "You should go with Arden."
Tavi looked slightly bemused at Mena's tone, but then he hurried after Arden. He never hesitates to confront danger, mused Savina, watching after him as long as she could.
###
Arden crept up the side tunnel behind Tavi, her dagger at the ready. The tunnel was narrower than the main corridor and sloped up steeply until it dead-ended in a shut door.
At Tavi’s gesture, Arden knelt and checked it. "It's not locked, Signor," she said. "Shall I -- ?"
He nodded. Arden eased the door open a few inches. She thought she had steeled herself for anything in this godsforsaken hellhole, but what she saw surprised her: under the green glow of moss, a derro woman rocked in a rocking chair, engaged in some derro version of knitting. Another woman carried more coals to a cozy fire, then sat down in a second chair and began spinning coarse yarn with a spindle.
As Tavi looked in over her shoulder, Arden wondered if he would order her to attack the two women. She waited. And waited. Finally, she risked glancing up at him just as he looked down at her. "Should we take them out?" he whispered, obviously uncertain.
She felt sympathy for the young nobleman confronted with a tough call: either kill two apparently peaceful people or risk them becoming a threat later on. She also felt relief that this wasn't her tough call. Enjoy the burden of freedom, Signor, she thought at him. Out loud, she whispered politely, "Whatever you will, Signor Octavian."
He looked startled, then slightly disgusted with himself, as if he had only just remembered who she was. "Right," he sighed. He thought for a split second more, then made his decision. "Close the door," he told her. "We're going back."
Arden closed the door as silently as she'd opened it. As they started back down the corridor, Tavi had an idea. "Can you lock them in?" he asked.
"The door has no lock, Signor, but – "
Arden pulled out her dagger and wedged it as solidly as she could between the door and the rough frame. It wasn't much of a barrier, but it would have to do.
###
Just before they reached the main corridor, Tavi heard Kormick speak out loud, a shock after all the whispering. "Well, hello!" he said. Then came the swish-thunk of a bolt flying true from his crossbow.
Tavi and Arden raced back to the front, passing Savina, Rose, and Corani, who had retreated from the second pit.
"What happened?" demanded Tavi as he reached the pit's edge.
"One of the derro poked his head around the corner and I shot him most magnificently through the eye," answered Kormick. "His comrades dragged him back into the room. Tell me you found a backdoor to the outside world."
"No," said Tavi. "It was kind of weird –"
Before he could say more, two derro soldiers jogged around the corner ahead, carrying the dead body of their comrade, the crossbow bolt still protruding from its eye.
"Ah, kind of them. They've come to show you my precise shooting," said Kormick, lining up a second shot. But then, with a violent motion, the derro heaved the corpse with all their strength across the pit. It slammed into Kormick, knocking him to the floor. Before anyone could react, the two derro leaped across the pit after their comrade, drawing short swords. Behind them, three more derro swarmed out of the room with – Tavi groaned without surprise – crossbows.
The battle went badly from the start. Tavi defended Kormick as best he could until the Justicar managed to arise, but between the derro flanking him, the archers across the pit, and the pit itself, he didn't have a lot of space to maneuver. Neither did Mena, who lacked a ranged weapon and had trouble getting close enough to hit the two nearby enemies. The slave, usually nimble with either a blade or her sling, seemed hampered by her injuries: only a few of her blows landed, and none with much force. Slowly but surely, the derro established more of a foothold on the party’s side of the pit. As they did, one whistled. A pair of the lizard-dogs came raging around the corner and leaped across the pit to join the fray.
You've got ’em, buzzed Phoebe. Sure, it's exciting right now, but you're going to be fine!
As long as those derro women don't make trouble, Tavi thought back, swinging with such artistry that the derro recoiled from the shock seemingly even before Tavi's blade made contact.
They were boring. That was a great hit! Do it again!
###
Farther down the hall, near the junction with the side corridor, Rose waited. Savina and Corani had been with her, but Corani had, as usual, attempted to race toward the fight, and Savina had followed her, begging her to stop. Rose hugged herself and dared to look past Savina and Corani to the battle itself. Through the dimness, she could glimpse a tangle of arms, legs, and snapping lizard jaws accompanied by grunting and snarling and fragmented shouts of instruction. It made her skin crawl, and yet – I asked for this, in a way, she thought to Whisper. Is this my destiny? Will pain and death always find me?
There was a noise from the side corridor, a clinking and scraping.
Arden's dagger came skittering down the passageway to rest at her feet.
That, she thought, one eyebrow arching, can’t be good…
Announcing... the Collected "Rose in the Wind"
For those who wish to enjoy this excellent Story Hour in PDF form... With the approval of ellinor, Ilex and Fajitas (thanks, guys!), I've begun compiling A Rose in the Wind in the same way as I've previously done with Sagiro's Story Hour and the original Welcome to the Halmae.
The first four completed chapters (plus the prologue) are now available here. Enjoy!
For those who wish to enjoy this excellent Story Hour in PDF form... With the approval of ellinor, Ilex and Fajitas (thanks, guys!), I've begun compiling A Rose in the Wind in the same way as I've previously done with Sagiro's Story Hour and the original Welcome to the Halmae.
The first four completed chapters (plus the prologue) are now available here. Enjoy!
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