Chapter 4: Baysil the Lame

"They're dead!" Kletta had insisted, across the ridge from the gaping hole where the Monastery had stood. "Or they might as well be. No telling what monsters there'll be swarming behind us, escaping from what's left of the Monastery."

They slogged along in the pouring rain, following the flowing waters that gathered together into streams. He knew that if they followed them long enough the muddy trickles would become cascading torrents, and finally small rivers. These now-nameless torrents would flow together in their turn, until at last they became the mighty River Oph, winding uncaring past the cities of men to the sea.

That first day, at least, was uneventful. All other life seemed to be in hiding from the storms that followed the unleashing of the ebon sphere from the Monastery cellars. The clouds were too thick to let them see the sun, and night was just a further darkening of the skies. They made a cold camp, huddling in their wet blankets under an overhang of rock. Too tired to keep awake, they slept through most of the night...

Baysil started awake to a sudden noise, to a feeling of being watched by unfriendly eyes. The storm had died down, and now only a steady rain beat against his face. He opened his eyes, finding enough light to make out a group of dim figures a few feet away. He nudged Kletta, hoping that they wouldn't see his furtive movement, and could feel the tensing of her muscles as she, too, came awake in the gray pre-dawn light.

The creatures, Goblins or small Orcs, raised their spears menacingly. With a shout, Baysil rolled to his feet, mace and shield at the ready! Behind him, Kletta crouched, sword drawn.

The creatures stumbled back, then attacked, but they'd lost the advantage of surprise. Baysil's mace crashed home, sending one of them reeling back, but another's spear reached past his shield. His arm burned like it had been branded, and from Kletta's shrill oath he knew that she'd been hurt, too. His next swing took out another foe, this one for good.

Their attackers wavered and fell back, but it was too late for them to escape, and a few more crushing blows ended the unequal fight. He and Kletta had each taken another wound, but all five of their attackers were dead or dying. Kletta bound his wounds, and he chanted a healing spell over hers. His first spell only slowed the flow of blood from the wound in her leg, and he had to use up a second spell to close it completely.

"'Sa matter? Your spells not working right?"

"No! Oh, I know what's wrong. We're too close to that blasted Gem."

Now that he thought about it, he could feel the Gem drawing at him, cutting him off from Divine Guidance. He would have to be even more careful from now on. Its sucking in of Magical energies might help to protect him from any Magical attack or creature, but he would pay for it in lessened potency of his own spells.

The clouds were lighter, now. Kletta gave the bodies of their late opponents a quick but thorough search, finding nothing but a handful of silver and copper coins. They seemed to be some debased breed, armed only with spears and hand-axes or slings. If he and Kletta hadn't been alone, they wouldn't have dared to attack. He checked that the coffer of the Gem was securely stowed at the bottom of his pack, and unwrapped a chunk of journey cake.

"How much of this stuff you got left?" Kletta asked, peering into her own pack.

"Not a whole lot," he admitted. "We'll have to hunt for food, soon. Nothing to eat on those creatures?"

She shook her head. "Nothing we'd want to eat."

Getting to his feet, Baysil led the way on down the canyon they'd been following. It seemed to be leading off to the East and South, as good a direction as any. The clouds continued to lighten, and the rain slackened, but didn't stop. Hampered by the weather and their partly-healed wounds, they made poor time through the tangled forest. They saw no game, and made a cold, wet camp as the clouded sky darkened.

"We'll take turns standing guard," Baysil ordered. "We don't want to be surprised again. If either one of us had been awake, those creatures wouldn't have given us any trouble."

"All right, I guess," Kletta nodded. "Neither one of us coulda stayed awake last night, though, as tired as we were. Who gets first watch?"

"I'll take it."

She rolled up in her sodden blankets, seeming to sleep as soon as her head touched the pack she was using for a pillow. Baysil stood, leaning against the bole of an ancient tree until his eyelids started to droop, then paced about slowly. His thoughts were troubled, confused. He felt cut off from the Divine Guidance that had smoothed his path for so long, and he missed the companions they'd lost. He would be glad when he could hand the Gem over to his superiors, and be free of its effects. When at last he judged that the first watch had ended, he shook his companion awake.

"All right! I'm awake!" She threw off his hand irritably and struggled out of her blankets. Baysil shrugged his shoulders and bedded down. Partly-healed wounds and sore muscles kept him awake for only a few moments, then he plunged deeply into sleep.

He was climbing up out of a deep pit, naked and alone. A whispered voice called to him, and a hand tugged at his arm.

"Wake up, damnit! There's something out there!"

He shook himself awake, reaching for his mace and shield. He could hear it now, a muffled bellowing and thrashing, followed by subdued crashing sounds, then silence.

"Let's get outa here!" Kletta caught up her pack.

"No, wait. It's the middle of the night. We won't get anywhere wandering around in the dark, as likely to stumble into trouble away from it. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be getting any closer. I can't even hear it, now."

As though to give the lie to his words, there was a sliding, thrashing noise. The clouds were lighter than they'd been during the day, and light from a moon revealed tangled trees around them.

Taking out his belt knife, he cut a green branch to make a staff as long as he was tall.

"What're you doing?"

"Will you be still?" He stuck the staff upright in the soft ground and chanted a brief spell over it. From its upper end a soft glow wavered and flickered, at last steadying into a weak source of pearly light. Holding the staff in his left hand, mace ready in his right, he cautiously approached the trees. Kletta followed reluctantly, sword at the ready.

She jumped back as something moved on the ground ahead of them, and Baysil raised his mace to strike. He stepped away as the thing gave a deep, rasping hiss, them lowered his mace with a laugh.

"Nothing to be afraid of. Not now, anyway."

"What is it?" She crowded forward, peering into the gloom. "It's a snake! What's wrong with it?"

He held the staff higher, and they could see the body of the giant serpent. It was as big around as a small man, maybe as long as three men laid end to end, though the way it coiled and knotted made it hard to judge. It had caught a half-grown wild cow, and was busily engaged in swallowing it. The only thing to be seen of its prey was the head, but that was enough to show them why the snake was in trouble. It hadn't started swallowing its prey from the head end, and now the cow's horns projected a couple of feet to each side of the serpent's mouth, too wide to be easily swallowed.