BEGIN BOOK 3: INTO THE UNKNOWN

  “Run! DON’T stop running! “Keep going!” Hoxley yelled to encourage the others toward the ever-present fog surrounding Steelbriar. “We’re almost there!” The companions came running as fast as they could; Loxo was first to join her on the edge of the fog, carrying extra packs. After him, Prince Damron and Siouxsie stepped inside, followed at last by Atticus still holding Robert over his shoulder. All of them stood close together as the eerie fog was thick enough to lose one another should they stand even ten feet apart.

  “How did those scouts catch up to us so fast?” asked the prince.

  “Likely the tall grass of the plains.” Answered Atticus.

  “I guess this means they’re not following the crown but the prince instead.” said Siouxsie. “If that’s true, we sent away Ignatius on a fool’s errand.”

  “We still have no proof of that.” said Hoxley. “It could still mean we’re leaving too much of a trail of clues for their trackers to find.”

  “Then what are we doing here?” asked the pirate. “I can hardly see my hand in front of my face in this fog. How are we going to continue to elude them from following our footsteps if we’re having trouble making them?”

  “That’s a good question I wish I had an answer to.” Hoxley said, her eyes shifting this way and that to make sense of their surroundings. “The horsemen were far ahead of the rest of the element looking for us. These scouts will likely have an entire armed escort with them that they need only point out our location.”

  “So, what’s the answer?” asked Morell, still sitting on Hoxley’s back and clinging to the spear strap hanging over her shoulder.

  “Atticus?” asked the faun. “What do you know of this place?”

  “It’s a wide circular lowland of nastiness.” He frowned, the big bushy caterpillar eyebrows dropping into a scowled “v” shape. “It’s a thick bog of mud and undrinkable water. It’s easy to get caught or stuck in the muck if you’re not careful. The parts that are dry enough to walk on are covered in thick vines covered in razor sharp thorns and leaves with edges that cut like a butcher’s knife. On top of that, it’s hard to navigate because of the fog that never lifts.”

  “That sounds positively dreadful.” Said Loxo. “Have we no other options? Could we not retreat to a nice small village and lie low in a barn or tavern with fine drink or something?”

  “We’ve no such luxuries.” Said Hoxley. “Perhaps if we go in just far enough, the enemy will think we’ve either carried on by not risking venturing inside or will become discouraged by the same nastiness we’re seeing.”

  “Discouraged?” asked the prince. “They’ve followed us the breadth of the land. I doubt they’ll stop over some fog and muck.”

  “He does have a point.” offered Atticus. “We could try and stay just within the edge of the fog to lose them for a little while and emerge in another place before they noticed we’ve departed. If we elude their search parties long enough, we’ll be able to make our way to Oldvale undetected.” Just then, the sound of men shouting echoed in the distance.

  “If we’re going to follow that notion, we need to do something quickly.” Said Hoxley

  “But how are we to navigate this thick soup without getting lost ourselves?’ asked Loxo

  “Leave that to me.” Said Siouxsie. “I know a certain gel that is just the fix for the task. Isn’t that right, Pumpkin?”

  “Pumpkoo!” said a voice beneath her pointed hat. Siouxsie reached up and took the orange tinted gel at the same time she reached into the hammock and pulled her brother’s hand out by the wrist. A fireball coughed to life in his palm and she placed the gel atop the burning sphere. The face of the gelatin became one of contentment as it seemed to enjoy the warmth emanating from the fire now burning inside of it. The other effect of this was the golden glow that seemed radiate from the gel.

  “There!” She said, plucking the gel from Robert’s hand before tucking it back inside the hammock. “Now we have something to help guide us and light our way.”

  “It’s hard to see.” Said Morell, looking over Hoxley’s shoulder.

  “Come.” Said Hoxley. “Let’s venture in just a little further and keep moving around Steelbrair. Let’s hope anyone attempting to follow us thinks we’ve gone straight in. We’re on the north side of it now. If we can stay hidden in the mist and circumnavigate this nastiness, we’ll exit it when we reach the eastern side.”

  “Sounds like a fine plan to me.” Added Atticus

  “I can hardly see my hand in front of my face.” Said the prince.

  “Then let’s join hands or keep one hand on the person in front of us.” Hoxley offered. “The last thing we want to do is have anyone get lost.” The companions moved closer together, each one taking a hand hold of the garment of the one next to them. When everyone had combined to create a chain, Siouxsie led the way with her glowing gel. A little while they walked before the ground grew more and more squishy beneath. Marshy “shloops” sounded every step. Every so often it got wetter and muddier so Hoxley guided Siouxsie slightly to the north where the ground would grow drier and denser. Every so often Hoxley would slow the group to listen for sounds of the enemy. But luck was on their side as no one had seemed to discover their position. For hours upon hours, they skirted the impenetrable fog of the border. So thick was it that even the sun high in the sky created nothing more than a bizarre grey twilight.

  Strange noises emerged from within the bog causing each of the companions to shiver and grip their weapons tight. Even brave Hoxley prayed the creators of such sounds stayed content to remain in their boggy confines. Winged creatures flitted overhead just out of sight.

  “Bats?” Morell asked Siouxsie

  “They don’t sound like bats.” Answered the witch. “Bat flight is more flittyfittyfittyfitty, these are more swookswookswook. But I can see how you’d think they’re alike. Morell’s eyes almost crossed at the answer as it made no sense. “Although, bats should be in here somewhere. Indirect sunlight and boggy wetlands that can produce a ton of insects to eat? That sounds like a bat paradise. Oh! that reminds me, I should feed mine.” Siouxsie reached down with her free hand and pulled her cloak open *NOOK*NOOK*NOOK* she clicked with her tongue on the top of her mouth. “Get something to eat then come straight back.” She spoke into the folds of her clothes. On command, a flurry of bats took flight out of her clothes and vanished into the mist.

  “Will they be able to find their way back in all this mist?” asked Morell

  “Of course, they will!” She nodded. “What most don’t know is that bats hunts by sound.”

  “They do?” asked the prince.

  “It’s true!” Siouxsie smiled. “We figured it out by trial and error a few summers ago when we were making witchles. Playing different high-pitched tones makes the bats behave differently. We’ve trained them to follow simple commands like ‘come’ for now, but who knows? Maybe in the years to come we can train them to do other things.”

  “Like what?” asked Morell.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps simple things or maybe they could even be trained to deliver messages.”

  “There goes my livelihood.” sighed Hoxley.

  “I don’t think it will come to that.” the witch assured her. “They could only be small messages and could only deliver one at a time as the coins they held would weigh more than their body weight. Can you imagine a bat trying to carry a pouch of coins? It would be tired before it crossed a field. Besides, who could possibly replace the great Hoxley? I don’t think that bats can carry parcels and save fleeing princes and fight horsemen and slay ice monsters.”

  “You’re the one who slayed the ice monsters, not me.” Hoxley corrected her.

  “Perhaps that’s true.” Siouxsie reconsidered. “But I could not have hit my mark without your help, or the help of the others.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Ice monsters?” asked Atticus. “Where are there ice monsters? When did this happen?”

  “Prior to finding you.” said Hoxley.

  “Monsters made of ice? That sounds positively fascinating!” Marveled Loxo. “Siouxsie, tell me more.”

  “You should have seen it, Loxo.” The girl grew more animated as she began to tell the tale. “It happened upon the peak of Faustacon Mountain. We held our blankets tight around ourselves to keep from freezing as we tried to escape the soldiers of Lord Baltus in the hours before dawn. We were surrounded atop the very tip with sharp blades closing in from every side…” Hearing this, Atticus grew curious and walked a little faster to stand next to the girl as she painted the scene with colorful words; “Hoxley would not give up the prince and archers readied their bows to cut us down…”

  “And?!” asked Atticus, his eyes wide with anticipation “What happened then? How did you escape being surrounded?” Seeing that someone was listening to her grand retelling, the witches’ gestures and voice grew to convey the action

  “Because just before the sun rose, the shadow girl, princess Cassandra appeared behind them as an eighty-foot giant and came down upon the soldiers with mighty stomping feet and smashing hands to swipe the men from the mountain, tumbling to their doom.” The girl stomped and swung her arms. “And as sun rose, Princess Cassandra retreated to the shadows to stay alive…and that’s when it happened…”

  “What happened?” asked Loxo with wide eyes

  “Green lightning fell down from the sky upon the mountain, sent by Lord Baltus’ evil lich! Six beams of black magic struck the snow, Ka-blammo! and from the frost rose six snarling monstrosities with disfigured grotesque maw faces and icy daggers for fingers…”

  “And you destroyed these things with your lightning magic?” asked the old man.

  “I had help.” Said Siouxsie, waving to the others. “My magic isn’t as strong as it should be, and I have trouble finding my targets so the prince came up with the brilliant idea to plant coins upon the beasts so that my lightning would find the metals they’re attracted to.”

  “That is a brilliant idea.” said Loxo with a surprised look. “It painted a target on them!”

  “Exactly so.” Said Siouxsie. “We all retreated to the peak and just as they were closing in to seal our fates… Wa-chow! My lightning rendered their ugly faces to mush and they were vanquished!”

  “Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous!” Atticus laughed. “And you say this is all true, Hoxley?”

  “Her account is correct.”

  “In all my days I’ve never heard such a story!” the man laughed. “I’ve never witnessed nor heard of such things. And none of you were hurt?” To answer his question all the faces of the companions who’d been there suddenly became solemn.

  “Not exactly.” Siouxsie frowned even more. “Prince Damron lost his footman and mentor in the fight. He sacrificed himself to save the prince’s life.”

  “My sympathy, your highness.” Atticus bowed his head to the boy. “He sounds like he was a very brave man.”

  “Thank you, he was.” Said the prince. “But his death was my fault. I got turned around in battle. Idris was distracted from his own fight to warn me of danger and that’s when he was struck down.”

  “Then he died bravely in his duty to you.” Atticus said with a reassuring hand upon Prince Damron’s shoulder. “When we find a tavern or place with wine, we will drink a cup to his bravery and his peace in the afterworld.”

  “I would like that.” said the prince with half a smile.

  “And I shall drink to that toast as well.” Offered Loxo. “Such a daring deed deserves a toast.” Hoxley was trying to enjoy the moment of merriment when her large ears perked

  “Everyone, halt.” said Hoxley, holding up her hand to halt the others. “Stop moving.”

  “What is it?” asked Morell.

  “Shhh. Don’t make a sound.”

  “I don’t hear anything.” Whispered Morell. Hoxley responded by reaching back and pinching his lips shut before taking a defensive stance with her spear and facing the outermost edge of the mist. Atticus saw her move and placed one hand upon the hilt of his sword. Loxo and the prince did the same. Siouxsie shook her sleeves a little as though she were about to raise her hands.

  For moments on end nobody heard anything…until the sound of countless footsteps sounded somewhere nearby. They came almost from behind then paraded right past the spot where the companions stood their ground. The sounds of dozens of marching soldiers talking, their equipment clanking echoed louder than anyone could have imagined Everyone stood perfectly still, no one moving so much as a muscle. Faint silhouettes of their pursuers passed within only few paces of the group, oblivious of those standing mere feet away. Siouxsie’s arms raised a little higher to be level with the ground but didn’t rise any higher. Atticus slowly pulled his sword from his sheath without making a sound and held it at the ready. Hoxley put a hand upon his bicep to hold him fast.

  Twenty soldiers passed, thirty, forty, sixty. The stomp and whinny of more war horses came and went just beyond the veil of mist. Morell held his breath as long as he could. A few minutes later, the steps and soldiers dwindled.

  “Is that it?” Whispered Siouxsie as she looked to the mountain of a man.

  “Wait.” Mouthed Atticus. “Rear scouts.” The big man knelt next to her and pointed to a place far at the rear of the back of the passing column. And after a few moments, Atticus’ finger pointed and followed an invisible point on the fog and trailed as it moved. Siouxsie couldn’t see what he was following until the two men he tracked walked right by them at the thinnest part of the veil before passing on. She smiled that she understood and he winked. No more steps approached but still they waited until the echoes of those that had passed were long, long gone.

  “Now?” asked the prince.

  “I’ll see if the way is clear.” The soldier remarked. Sword in hand, he gently set Robert upon the ground before stepping toward the edge of the fog. As big as he was, he didn’t get far he’d vanished entirely. Anxious heartbeats made the short time he was missing seem like far more. Hoxley’s heart was in her throat the whole time. Just as she thought the tension of the moment might cause her to lose her composure, Atticus returned with a wide grin on his face. “Lucky day. The soldiers have passed us by. Let us backtrack a little then we’ll emerge and take a different path.”

  “A sound plan,” Agreed Hoxley as she lifted her spear. “We’ll keep our distance and take a less trod route back to Oldvale. Follow me.” On cautious steps they filed behind her and moved to the edge of the fog that seemed as definite as a wall. One step they were shrouded in mist, the next they stood outside of it. Hoxley glanced at all visible points on the horizon before motioning the others to quickly follow her toward the closest tree line for cover. Once inside, she had everyone stop to take another look and make sure they weren’t followed.

  “I’m glad to be gone from that place.” Said Morell. “I got terrible feeling being so close to whatever is further inside.”

  “I’ll agree with that.” said Loxo. “Such a murky place. If it weren’t so boggy, I’d suggest letting Robert set fire to it.”

  “Mmrruummph” Robert slumber grumbled from his hammock.

  “The way seems to be clear.” said Hoxley. “Come, we’ll take a slower but deliberate pace back to Oldvale. I’m fairly certain that if we take an east to northeastern path we should find ourselves where we want to be. It was then that she looked over at Siouxsie to find her looking thoroughly exhausted. Her shoulders sagged and she was leaning forward as she walked with her arms dangling.

  “Siouxsie?” she asked. “Are you alright?”

  “I can’t make my hammock without a broom and witches don’t sleep well on the ground.” The girl replied with a yawn. “Perhaps if I had a nice tree to sprawl in.” It was then that Robert started to rouse.