When the Gem awakens to call a Hero, the world is ill prepared...and its fate is placed in the hands of a 17 year old boy, named Wendell.

Some will say this is nothing but a tale of fiction.
Let them think as they may.

After all...I can't fix stupid.

Previously: Wendell, Chuck, Dax and Alhannah escaped the Black Market being chased by vallen scouts. When the Iskari High Council makes plans to engage with the world below, Wendell makes his own plans.

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People won’t always like you.

So what?

That’s just a fact of life.

Most people didn’t like me as I was growing up.

People were mean.

People were cruel.

People accused me of things I didn’t do. People…many people,…also hurt me.

I wished they’d only used words. Instead, they drew blood, broke bones. Heck, one guy even ran me over in his truck. Ruined my new bike.

…I liked that bike.

My point is…it’s not always in your power to change the way others feel or even think about you. What you can do is to be consistent in your moral character until they notice the change. Until they notice that character.

Your character.

You be you long enough so all they have left in their memory is the good you do. That’s what my dad taught me.

“Never stop trying to be the best person you can be,” he’d say, “and don’t stop engaging with other people around you. Let your good efforts shine.”

So when you’re surrounded by irritating or mean individuals, stand in your place. On your feet, upright, shoulders squared.

For me, that also meant focusing on doing the job I’d agreed to do.

“For the last time,” Chuck yelled, “she’s not IN Sanctuary!” His face flushed an apple red. The veins in his neck and face bulged between the snow white hair and bushy eyebrows, like purple worms about to burst through his skin. He stepped forward, boney finger prepared to stab — but Dax pushed harder — keeping him out of swinging distance.

“This house and garden are NOT part of the Iskari community,” he said. Sleeves rolled up, Chuck tried again to jump at Gaidred, who stood there, calm and unflinching. He also stood on the front doorstep of the cottage. The Elder kept his hands tucked within the wide sleeves of his tunic, which ticked the wizard off even more.

“This estate was established in Sanctuary before your great, great, GREAT, great, great, grandfather was a twinkle in his daddy’s eye!” He gave the elder a full-toothed snarl. “It was built for the hero and his lineage after him, and I am the steward! I will not have some child tell me who I can and cannot have as a house guest OR whom I can employ!”

Elder Altorin tried not to laugh. Unsuccessfully. He finally tugged on Gaidred’s sleeve. “Oh, leave him be, brother. The little girl isn’t going to hurt anything, surely.”

Alhannah sat patiently on the couch next to me, arms folded, ankles crossed. Her bottom lip jutted out from her face, but she said nothing. When she noticed the Elders staring at her, she glared back, throwing in her own snarl for good measure.

I covered my mouth with a hand and tried not to laugh.

Gaidred shook his head and shot a wary glance at Altorin. “I would not be so certain. If you remember, his last gnome guest nearly caused an exodus of our people back to the surface of Elämä! It took us a week to find those dead sheep in the water ducts.”

Dax snorted. “That was funny, if ya ask me.”

Gaidred looked down. “We did not.”

Chuck’s mustache quivered. Even from where I sat, his body language screamed to engage in a glorified butt-kicking. Dax grunted under the strain of the old man’s efforts.

With a sigh, Gaidred finally backed out of the doorway. “Then again, she is not Höbin Luckyfeller. We may be safe.”

Alhannah hopped from the couch and opened her mouth to retort.

Dax growled at her so quickly she bit her lip.

Gaidred bowed ever-so-slightly to the wizard. “I apologize, Morphiophelius. You are right, and I will keep the peace.”

“Oh, I’ll give you a piece…” Chuck grumbled, trying to kick as the Elder turned. Luckily, Dax deflected his leg, and the wizard mule-kicked the door frame instead.

So much yelling. So much stress.

Me? I just sat quietly on the couch, arms folded, watching the show. Back home, I’d have to pay good money for entertainment like that. Honestly, after watching Chuck, I could understand why some got hooked on reality TV shows. People seemed to enjoy observing conflict, so long as it wasn’t their own lives being directly affected (or offended). There was history here. History can get sticky, depending on who you ask.

My future, with all of them, was about to be written.

I took a deep breath.

“Can we get a move on?” Dax pleaded, stepping aside and letting Chuck stumble through the front door. “The sun’s risin’ down below. If ya wanna surprise ‘em, we gotta go!”

I stood up, stretched, and yawned in sync with the smiley on my shirt. I’d slept better once I could acknowledge to myself where I was, what I had agreed to do, and realized how important relationships were. No matter what opinions I had of Chuck, Dax, the Iskari High Council, or even Alhannah for that matter, each of us had been thrown into this pot together. Building friendships would take time, but developing confidence in one another was critical.

To make it a bit more complicated, I had a secret to keep.

There was no way of knowing how bad things could go if anyone found out I wasn’t the birthright hero. They’d grabbed the wrong guy,…and given me all the power they had to fight their end-game boss. They couldn’t change that. I couldn’t change that.

At least not for 1000 years, anyway.

So why bring it up, right?

*sigh*

I stumbled out into the front yard and enjoyed the morning light. A cool breeze rustled the leaves of the giant trees cuddling the grove. Bluejays picked at the peanut feeders hanging from low branches, while finches darted through the foliage, playing aerial tag and chirping noisily at one another. The sun, the plants,…even the roughly mowed lawn looked perfect. I couldn’t figure out how…or when…the lawn had been done.

Probably Jeb.

Another planter lay smashed, littering the path near the front gate. When I stooped down to fiddle with the clay fragments, I found decimated lilies ground into the soil. Once again, tiny footprints covered the walkway.

I decided not to ask.

Life was…getting better. No one seemed to pay particular attention to me this morning, and that didn’t seem so bad. Not after last night among the Council, anyway. My outspoken attitude had dumbfounded the Iskari High Council…leaving them with little choice but to assist me as best they could. That, or they could do without the gem and their hero, altogether.

It was totally a bluff on my part, but they didn’t know that. Not the best solution, and I probably could have conducted myself with more respect, but these results were something I could live with. My focus was on following the guidance of the letter.

Get to Til-Thorin. Wherever that was.

What kind of imaginary creatures would we encounter? Giants, fairies, dragons? I knew dragons existed in at least two sizes, but what about sprites, unicorns, centaurs, minotaurs? Who knew what wonders awaited me below? Did trees talk? Did the animals walk and talk to humans? Halflings…I would LOVE to meet a hobbit! Ooooooooh! Maybe the land is under a spell of endless winter!!

The smiley on my shirt was grinning so widely, Dax stopped in his tracks.

“Can’t you wear that thing inside out?” he complained.

“It’s not that bad,” I said. I looked down and gave the smiley a reassuring wink.

It winked back.

“For being an emotional menace, I guess,” Dax said.

I noticed him trying to hide a smirk.

Hmm.

“Right then,” Dax bellowed, “Come on, you lot!” He lead us to the side pasture, and motioned to the Elders. “Gaidred, ya wanna go over the plan before we hit the road?”

I found it almost strange not to see the Council members in robes. Both Gaidred and Altorin were dressed in brown tunics with extra wide sleeves, trousers, with dark green boots and cloaks with hoods. It made their blue skin almost look purple. Thick leather bands gripped their wrists, while both elders had pouches hanging from their wide belts and saddlebags slung over their shoulders. Gaidred wore two short swords — one on each hip — while Altorin was equipped with a shield and mace strapped to his back. Both wore a long knife strapped to the front of their chests.

Except for the color of their skin and lack of hair, they reminded me of the Gypsy guards from the Black Market.

“The Council has already sent Elder Lamier ahead of us, to the island of Äsä-Illäriu.” He looked at me. “That is the homeland of the…”

“Elves,” I finished.

He smiled with a quick nod. “Correct. He will speak with the High Lords and lay the situation before King Robert III. We are offering our help in securing the Prime Gate and any other matters the King may feel are of importance.”

“What about going to Til-Thorin?” I asked. The smiley glared at each member of the group. This determination to stay focused had me feeling pleased with myself. There was a growing hunger to learn. That I could make the Ithari vanish from sight made me hungry for more. What kind of magic could I do? Surprisingly, I felt anxious about looking through the books Chuck had picked up from Perspicacious.

“That is the other matter Lamier will address. At your request, Lord Wendell, we have not revealed who you actually are. You will be acknowledged as a special ward of the Iskari High Council…the last member of a family line, seeking further records of your people. ”

“Which is dumber than a Täuku in a beauty contest,” grumbled Dax.

Altorin coughed and glanced away.

Gaidred ignored them both. “The Iskari High Council has been given charge of wards over the ages, so this is not unheard of. It should satisfy any curiosity.”

I frowned. “But I’m not from here…and there aren’t any records to be found. Can’t we just introduce me as…” I paused, unsure of how to address this myself. “Just a foreigner? I really don’t want to deceive people. What you’re suggesting is a lie. ”

“It’s not technically the truth,” Gaidred corrected him. “You are indeed a ward of the Council. You are indeed the last of your family…on this world, and, as an adopted host of Ithari, you are seeking more information which can assist you in your duties as hero. Thus, my answer is, technically, correct.”

My frown deepened. “It’s crap.”

Gaidred smirked. “It’s perspective.”

“It’s time to GO!” Dax bellowed. Grabbing a stick from the ground, he scraped a circle in the dirt. “I don’t see the smarts in keepin’ who ya are a secret,” he mumbled. “‘Specially not from people who can help us. But I ain’t in charge.”

I crossed my arms, irritated. “Until I learn how to do more than survive getting beaten up in bars…or pubs, or — whatever that place was, I don’t want anyone developing false expectations. This is going to be hard enough without others looking over my shoulder, pushing and prodding and judging me.”

“No,” agreed Dax, tossing the stick away and spitting on the ground, “It’s called life, kid. Get used to it, cause ya ain’t gonna be able to avoid what it throws at ya. You can’t ask for time outs, replays, or hide from it, so ya should make friends where ya can.”

“Why should I add to the caliber of friends I already have?” I scoffed. “With so much love and support, why would I ever need MORE?”

Dax flinched.

I looked top to find Gaidred watching the exchange, his face contorted. “Let us stick to the plan. After that, we can make our way to Til-Thorin as Lord Wendell requires. Questions?”

No one spoke.

“Right then,” said Dax soberly, but he avoided looking at me. “Everyone gather ‘round. Never ported this many people before, so it should be…interesting.” He reached out and squeezed Alhannah’s hand, giving her a weak smile.

Alhannah gulped.

Even the Elders looked uncomfortable.

I was still fuming.

“You’ll do fine, monkey,” said Chuck, thumping his walking staff upon the ground. “Try to get us as close to Tämä-Un as you can, but not the valley. Better to hike in than finding an unwelcome surprise party waiting for us, eh?”

“I’ve been on the south ridge of the valley,” Dax said. “That’s as close as I can get.”

“That should do fine,” Chuck replied.

“Agreed,” said Gaidred, supportively.

Chuck glared at him.

The Elder rolled his eyes and sighed.

One by one, we gathered around Dax, staying within the circle he’d scraped into the soil.

“Here goes everything,” whispered Dax. Then, with a deep breath, he closed his eyes and raised his arms out to his sides. Several long moments passed. I was about to say something when Dax released the air in a steady exhale and clapped his hands together.

There was a deafening BAMPH!

No one had time to prepare.

Just a flash — the blink of an eye — and everything changed. The ground, instantly uneven under my feet, threw me off balance. I hit the ground, legs folding under me, falling forward, completely against my will. The shock of it was like being shoved from behind while you’re trying to balance on a small retaining wall in the schoolyard. I rolled downhill, trying desperately to control myself without luck.

Throwing my arms outward, I stopped the spin and slid across the damp ground cover instead. Wet leaves and sticks scraped and stuck to my skin as the tee rolled up to my armpit. With a last jolt, I smacked against the trunk of a tree. The impact jarred his back and ribs.

OOF!

My body curled up, the wind knocked from me. I had to sip the air until my muscles relaxed. When I could take a breath, I forced myself up onto one elbow.

A thick fog crept along the ground and enshrouded the area. Thick grass and wildflowers, brambles, weeds, and the colorful leaves of fall lay upon the surrounding ground. The few trees visible looked like thin, gnarled fingers in agony, desperately reaching for sunlight. The moist underbrush clung to my clothes and arms.

I shuddered.

The forest looked like blurry, epileptic strokes of a brush over a white canvas. That warm sensation of healing already coursing through me, I quickly got to my feet. The layered ground cover of leaves and needles crunched as I moved.

Everyone but Alhannah had fallen upon impact…even Dax. The elf was laying up, wedged between two large boulders. He was face down, unmoving.

“Chuck!” I yelled, and dashed to Dax’s side.

The wizard kneeled and pulled a small pouch from his sleeve. Altorin moved opposite to him. Chuck lifted Dax from between the boulders and rolled the small body over. Blood and leaves covered his lower face and chin. His eyelids fluttered repeatedly, fingers twitching.

Snatching the hat from his head, Chuck put his ear to Dax’s chest.

He sighed. “Steady heartbeat.”

“Just…tired, not dead,” Dax whispered. Moaning, he rolled to his side and spit the dirt from his mouth. “Feels like my head’s been used as a war drum.”

Alhannah kneeled down and lightly poked him in the shoulder. “Well, get up old man…no excuses, we have giants to hunt.”

Dax smiled weakly and attempted to stand. His arms flailed about and his legs rebelled, buckling under him. Before the wizard could steady him, Dax flopped backwards and into a nearby bush.

“Fairy Farts,” he cursed, but didn’t get up.

“You ok?” I asked.

Chuck and the gnome pushed past me.

“Is…he ok?” I asked again.

“I’m…alright,” Dax grumbled, trying to sit up, unsuccessfully. He slapped the wizard’s hands away and spat the leaves from his mouth. “I do this for a living, remember?”

“What,” teased Alhannah, “sitting on your backside and complaining?”

“Huh?” Dax frowned.

“Look around,” she smirked. “You did it! New record, uncle Dax. Six people!” She looked over at Altorin. “One of them is seriously fat. So I’d say seven people.”

Altorin just laughed out loud. “Aye. That’s fair.”

Dax grinned triumphantly, as he pulled himself up out of the bush with a “Hmph!” His expression immediately changed, though. Fresh blood, red as a pomegranate, streamed out his nose, down his chin and neck. Dax’s oversized head suddenly flopped backwards, eyes rolling back into his skull.

“Dax!” screeched Alhannah, and she jumped forward to grab his arm.

Chuck was already in position behind him and caught the elf by the shoulders. He laid Dax carefully on the ground. “The strain was too much. He’ll need a little time to rest before we can continue.”

“We can use the time to scout the area and get our bearings,” said Gaidred. “Lord Wendell, Alhannah, would you mind accompanying Altorin and myself?”

“Wow, you’re actually being asked,” chimed Doubt.

I nodded to both.

“Fine by me,” answered the gnome, but her attention lingered on Dax.

“He’ll be fine, dear one,” prodded the wizard. “He just needs a breather, that’s all.” With a shoo motion of his hand, he added, “I promise. Take the boy and go help. I’ve got Dax.”

Alhannah looked at Dax, unsure, but nodded.

“If you would accompany Altorin,” said Gaidred, “I will take Wendell with me.”

The gnome gave him a rueful grin. “Wish I could, your counsel-ness, but no. Ain’t gonna happen. I work for Chuck. The kid’s my responsibility until I get fired or killed. I go where he goes. No exceptions.”

The smiley openly laughing in silence.

“I’m liking this girl,” said Doubt. “Uh…gnome.”

Me too.

I tried not to show my amusement, but it had to be frustrating. Having two people in less than twenty-four hours refuse to obey a ‘request’ from the Iskari High Council. I was surprised when the Elder bowed gracefully.

“As you wish,” he said matter-of-fact. “Let’s secure the perimeter and pinpoint where we are while we wait for Dax to recover.”

Altorin pulled the shield and mace from his back and strapped the shield tightly to his arm. With a nod to his council brother and a slight bow to me, he marched off into the fog.

Gaidred looked at me. “My Lord, if you and the Lady Alhannah would follow my lead?”

Alhannah elbowed Wendell’s leg. “Lady…I like that.”

The land was beautiful, but looked little different from what I’d seen on Earth. In fact, except for the occasional odd-looking plant, I could almost mistake the area for the forests of Idaho, Oregon, or even Washington. There was a vast variety of tree life, most of which was covered in a thick green moss. Many of the trees looked like pine, oak, white, and Douglas fir. I pulled leaves, needles, and snapped small branches from specimens as we walked, examining them.

“What are you doing?” asked Alhannah.

“Just…learning. These look like the kind of trees I have back home.”

She frowned. “Whatever toots your horn.”

It wasn’t what I was expecting. This planet, I mean. Elämä was just like Earth. Honestly, I found that utterly disappointed. I’d already seen giants, strange animals, magic, dragons, and even associated with blue-skinned people and gnomes, but…

Alhannah tossed a rock into the nearby bushes. Small birds, which looked a great deal like bright orange quail, darted across our path. “Do you know where you’re going, Iskari?”

Gaidred didn’t look back. “I do…and my name, Lady Alhannah, is Elder Gaidred.”

The gnome stuck her tongue out. “Ok, Gaidy…where are you going?”

The Elder shook his head. “Up.”

Higher and higher we climbed, weaving between trees and climbing over rock. The heavy fog and overcast sky made it nearly impossible to see more than a few yards ahead of us, which made me nervous. Something could be hiding in the fog.

“ANYthing could hide in that fog,” Doubt clarified.

Shut up.

…but I kept looking back over my shoulder.

“Why do we have to climb so high?” I finally asked.

Gaidred didn’t answer.

The gnome sighed. “He probably wants to get an aerial view of the land,” she clarified. “Find land marks, you know, to show us where we are.” Speaking louder, “I’m assuming here, Elder, that you can identify land marks?”

Gaidred didn’t stop or look back. “We will know soon enough.”

Within the hour, we’d reached the top of the mountain. Fog stretched out over the range like the soft foam of the sea, snuggling into the valley and crevices of the landscape. The sky was gray — painted with thin streaks of blue — the light of the sun hidden behind the thick layers of cotton overhead. The trees were thinner at the top of the mountain, affording us a panoramic view.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t tired. Alhannah and Gaidred were breathing heavily, but the harder the climb, the more intense that warm sensation within my flesh became.

Without a word, Gaidred kneeled down and sifted through the grass and weeds. He lifted a small stone, roughly the size of his thumbnail, and rubbed it against his tunic.

I looked at Alhannah, but she shrugged her shoulders.

Whispering something into his palm, Gaidred tossed the stone straight up into the air.

I was shocked to watch it slow and stop in midair.

The Elder stood up, adjusted his tunic and casually brushed his hands together, rubbing the soil from his fingers and palms. Slowly turning around in place — the stone moved with him — floating in alignment with Gaidred’s forehead.

Then it stopped.

Gaidred continued to move, but it seemed the rock was stuck.

Opening his hand, the rock fell into his palm.

“Take a seat, my friends,” he breathed. “This will take a little time.”

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Gaidred settled himself on the ground once more and rested his arms upon his knees. Closing his eyes, he said, “Looking for landmarks.”

I looked back at the gnome.

“Why do you keep looking at me?” she snapped. “I don’t know any more about his apparently weird habits than you do.” Peering into the fog, “Come on—lets see if we can find something to eat while we’re waiting for Mr. Mysterious.”

For the record, Alhannah has been, by far, the easiest to get along with. According to the gnome race, she’s a ‘woman’ and not a girl. Once I got past the fact that she was older than me, by six years, we had a talk. A late night chat in the kitchen over medium rare steaks, cooked to perfection by Jeb.

We bonded.

She was adorable, to be sure, but that turned out to be the least appealing thing about her. Alhannah was funny, wicked smart, calculating, loved hard physical challenges, but as we talked into the night, I learned something special.

When we compared the experiences we’d had growing up, they affected us in similar ways. The actual difference between us was that Alhannah had mentors to train her on how to deal with the violence. In how to deal with the bullies in her life, so she could fight back.

All I had was a determination to endure and survive.

“Ohhh,” she’d almost giggled under her breath, “we are SO gone fix that, Wendell.” Ripping a bite of steak with her teeth, she winked. “I’m gonna show you how to use every ounce of that body mass you have. Throw that behind a punch, a kick, or a weapon of your choice and your life’s gonna change. I guarantee it.”

It sounded great, but even with the Ithari, that fight in the Roadkill Tavern had been…painful. Healing or not, the Ithari had eased my pain, not taken it away. The memory was still in me. Fresh.

Alhannah had squeezed my fingers.

Her enormous eyes searched my expression.

She was the first person in this new world that…saw me.

I didn’t realize how badly I’d needed to be seen.

Noticed.

“I get it,” she’d whispered. “I do. You may not believe this yet, but it will get better. You will learn how to overcome this, no matter how weak you feel right here and now.” She’d squeezed my fingers in little soft pulses. “When my mom died, I couldn’t cope. Uncle Dax watched my back. Taught me how to be strong. To stand my ground when it mattered, and when to fight back.” She grinned then. “How…to fight back.”

I nodded.

“We’ll both do the same for you.”

When Jeb suggested we get some sleep, I’d offered her a hand in friendship.

She hopped up on a chair and hugged me instead.

“I think I get you now, Wendell,” she’d whispered in my ear. “If I can help you, little brother, I will.” She kissed me on the cheek and dropped. Snatching a final slab of steak, she gave Jeb and deep formal bow. “Thank you, Oh Great One,” she’d giggled, then waltzed out of the kitchen.

Little brother.

Heh.

Loved that.

“I’m not eating those.” I turned my face into my arm as the gnome kicked open the log. The rotten, pungent smell made the putrid green and yellow grubs look even more intimidating. They wiggled, trying to work their way back into the dark recesses of the wood.

“Why not?” Alhannah countered. “We can’t make a fire — we’d give ourselves away, so, if you’re hungry, just try it.”

“Mmmph!” I gagged. “No thanks. Not that hungry.”

“Suit yourself,” and she popped the grub into her mouth, biting down hard. There was a pop…and a clump of milky-white puss ran down her chin. I turned away and shuddered to my toes.

Alhannah smiled, which made the liquid ooze out of the side of her mouth. “I’ll tell you one thing,” she chomped away eagerly, “…it tastes nothing like chicken, that’s for sure.”

I was about to reply when the hair on my neck stood on end.

Alhannah wiped the goo from her mouth with her glove. “What’s the matter?”

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

“Alhannah?” I said.

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

“Yeah?”

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

“Something’s not…”

My feet were already in motion, sprinting towards her. At the last moment, I lunged at Alhannah, just as she looked up. Her eye grew wide as I spun my body, placing my torso between the object, something the size of a bowling ball, and her head.

The stone hit me in the ribs.

Hard.

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

Bones cracked. Air jumped from my lungs as the angle of the blow threw my trajectory into a spin. Alhannah bounced off my belly while I hit the ground, rolling. I skidded across gravel and grass, small shards and sticks cutting into the flesh of my face and hands.

Conveniently, I slid to a stop with my head facing Alhannah and the intruder.

“Wendell!” Alhannah shouted. She rolled with the blow and up to her feet.

Dang, she was cool to watch.

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

Again, the surge of warmth flooded every fiber of my being, the pain receding to tolerable levels. I felt a rib pop back into place and I took in a sharp breath.

I gave my ‘big’ sister a thumbs up.

That was, apparently, all she needed.

Swords appeared in her hands as a giant emerged from the fog.

During our late night dinner, I’d had the opportunity to ask Alhannah about the Vallen race. It’s important to note here that if you want to truly understand an enemy, especially a violent one, ask their enemy. Ask someone who defends against them. Those who engage in actual combat.

This, right here and now, was Alhannah’s ‘day job’.

…and she looked pissed.

I’m guessing the thing was close to eight feet in height. Unlike the basketball players from my world, this thing was as muscular as he was tall. It made bodybuilders I’d seen look more like pencil-pushing nerds.

Wrapped in tattered cloth and random pieces of spiked plate mail, its chest, torso, thighs and arms were completely covered. It wore heavy boots and a thick belt, where various pouches and an animal horn were strapped. It watched the gnome through slits on a massive war helm. Two mighty horns jutted out from the front, twisting and curving up to the sky. A two-handed war hammer, with a stone spike on one side, bounced hungrily in one hand.

It looked identical to the one found on the beast that had killed Kyliene.

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

Tha-THUMP-Thump!

Another rib popped back into place, and I could breathe.

“Mmmm,” the thing grumbled deeply, looking between us. “Meat.”

“You look like you need to go on a diet, fat boy,” Alhannah hissed. She sounded like an irritated house cat. “Why don’t you take off that helm, so I can see yer eyes, coward.”

I could feel the deep laughter reverberating through the ground.

With a single tug, the helm came off and clanked across gravel and stone. Cloudy yellow eyes stared down from a face I’m not sure a mother could love. Massive boils and open sores complimented badly sewn wounds. Its face was riddled with deep lines across brow, cheeks, and chin, overlaid with pockmarks. Jagged canines jutted out from his jaw.

Yeah, mom would be puking.

“Am I pretty, little morsel?” Saliva dripped from the grin.

“Pretty as dog piss,” she sneered.

It was unnerving how fast something that big could move that fast, and stay that silent. The Vallen closed the gap in a heartbeat, but Alhannah was already gone.

“Vallen are stupid, genetically,” she’d said. “They have incredible strength and endurance, sure, but they work closer to instinct than actual calculation. Distancing and timing are not their strong suit.”

The other thing she’d mentioned about genetics was that all vallen had chronic bad knees.

“So if you can’t get to their achilles tendon,” she’d grinned, stabbing her steak with a knife, “you take out the knees.”

The vallen roared in pain as Alhannah dashed between its legs like a striking mongoose. Her whisper-thin blades severed hamstrings and ligaments at the back of its knees, before vanishing again.

The giant collapsed to the ground.

In one fluid motion, Alhannah flipped up and over the warrior’s shoulder, slid off its chest plate, and with a single backhand slice, rolled back out of reach.

Black blood quickly seeped saturated the wrapped hand of the giant. The hammer clattered to the ground.

“That’s one way to deal with the bigger bullies,” she said, strutting away from the vallen. “If their hands are exposed, you can sever the flexor tendons. Doesn’t matter how strong they are. They can’t use what they don’t have.” With a graceful whip of her swords, the black liquid splattered over gravel and grass. She wiped the residue across her pant leg and sheathed them. “How you doing?”

I raised myself to my knees with a grunt. “Getting there.” The healing power of the Ithari was getting easier to identify. The process made me more aware of my body. I could feel the bones mending and solidifying. The pebbles lodged in my cheek popped out like bad acne and fell to the ground. Taking it slowly, I pushed off one knee and stood upright.

Alhannah looked at me and whistled. “Dang.”

“What?” I said.

“It really is you.”

I smiled. “Yup. I’m Wendell.”

She shook her head. “No. No. I mean, you…the Gnolaum.”

I shrugged. “Sorry, I wasn’t any help.”

“Excuse me,” Alhannah grunted. “You saved my life, Mr. Hero.” She wandered over and kicked the projectile. “That would have taken my head clean off!”

We both spun around to a loud ‘THUNK!’

The vallen’s head slumped to the ground, a rather long knife lodged halfway through its skull.

“Lady Alhannah, it is wise,” Gaidred said dryly, “to ensure that you completely incapacitate your enemy before turning your back.”

“He was completely helpless,” she protested. “I know what I’m doing.”

Gaidred kicked an animal’s horn from the vallen’s good hand.

Alhannah blushed. “Oh.”

I tapped the top of her head with a finger. “Alhannah,” I whispered.

She slapped my hand. “What?”

“The fog.”

“What?”

“Look around…the fog. It’s disappearing,” I said.

The gnome laughed. “It does that, you know. It gets warmer and then it goes away — it’s called NAture.” She emphasized the last word mockingly.

I shook my head. “Like this?”

Sure enough, the mist in the air wasn’t dissipating…it was sinking. Sinking into the ground…or was the ground rising? I couldn’t tell.

The Elder was looking out over the mountains, arms hidden in the wide sleeves of his tunic. The fog had lowered into the crevices of the valley below, revealing the mountain tops for miles around.

“Do you know what’s going on?” I asked curiously.

Gaidred turned from his thoughts, his brows arched. “Pardon me?”

“The fog,…it just, well, I don’t know,” I tried to explain, “…sank away?”

“NAture,” Alhannah said again, mockingly.

“Shut up.”

Gaidred grinned then. “I simply asked the elements if they would allow me the opportunity to get a better look around.”

My mouth opened in a dull expression. “Huh?”

The Elder looked past me and down at the gnome. “Amazing things are possible when you use MAnners.”

She smirked. “Heh. Point for blueberry.”

“Tämä-Un is there,” he pointed to the next ridge over.

“How can you even tell?” I asked. “All the mountains look the same.”

“Not so,” said Gaidred. “Do you see the small, pointed rock formations? On the highest point of that peak?”

I squinted. “Yeah.”

“That is tietä, or a path to all doors. A discreet marker for those who know where to look — marking the valley of Tämä-Un. And that,” the Elder said with a satisfied grin, “is where we travel to next.”

By the time we’d returned to camp, Dax was already up and walking around. He waved off questions about how he felt.

“Let’s get a move on,” was all he’d say.

Altorin had discovered tracks leading away from the valley. “Wide and newly worn,” he said. “Whomever made them, they’re not trying to hide their presence.”

“Good,” spat Dax. “Then they’ll be easier to round up and slaughter when Bob gets back.”

“They also split off,” Altorin added, “in several directions. The most worn tracks could lead to Til-Thorin, but several others definitely lead south.”

Dax snorted. “Why the flip would those monsters march to the beach? They ain’t here ta make a summer home.”

Now that I’d seen several vallen, I noticed my guardian looked more like these brutes than the elves we saw in the market. I wondered if that contributed to Dax’s temper? All I had was Alhannah’s word about his skill, his loyalty and intent. My own interactions with Dax kept causing me to question this whole arrangement.

Why would the High Council choose an aggressive evolu to be my guardian, when he so openly detests me and my very presence?

Why not leave me in the wizard's care?

“Did anyone bring clippers?” hollered Chuck.

He sat on a rock with his bare foot pulled up near his face.

“Blasted ingrown toenail!” he cried aloud, then, seeing no one was paying attention to him, he leaned forward and bit at his toe.

“OWW!” he screamed.

…then fell backwards off the rock into the brush with a thud.

“Right,” I muttered to myself. “Dax it is.”

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Author Notes

Thank you for reading this…and for supporting me as I write this story!

I realize this is different from previous chapters, now being called “episodes”. I do hope you enjoy this better as a reading experience. If not, please let me know how I can improve it for you.

This is the initial change from novels to the serial format of writing here on Life of Fiction. It’s one I’m excited about. My focus is to provide a wonderful reading experience through good storytelling, clean formatting, and easy navigation to find what you’re looking for, whether that be desktop or mobile.

Did this episode meet those expectations? Let me know in the comments.

I’m working backwards with previously published Chapters, while writing forward, publishing new Episodes. Once that’s done, I’ll start on the audio portion of this plan!

Jaime

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16. Being Noticed