Forbidden Places
By Richard LeBlanc
Chapter Seven: a guide appears
Only a short amount of time had passed since the four had left the shore and had begun their journey inland. Lord Arachnid and Toy Maker untrustingly glared at each other while Enchanter focused his efforts into learning more from Markys.
"This is quite a place." Enchanter stated calmly. He looked over at his traveling companions and saw that they were too busy to even notice the landscape around them.
"It is kind of pretty." Markys agreed. Enchanter stopped walking to admire the artistic value of the gently sloping mountain before them. Once the others realized he had stopped moving - they focused their attention on Enchanter.
"Why have we stopped?" Toy Maker asked lowly.
"You two have no idea what you have missed since the shore. I thought that you might at least want to see such a wondrous sight before we have to part company." Enchanter pointed out. The two wizards looked at the mountain and then glared at Enchanter.
"It's a mountain. So what?" Toy Maker asked.
"A weak one at that. I can barely feel any mana in it." Arachnid added.
"You boys have no appreciation." Enchanter began. He was going to continue when a loud screech interrupted his train of thought.
"Was that a good screech or a bad screech?" Arachnid asked curiously. Just then a large white bird exploded up from a large tree and then dived at them. Toy maker and Arachnid were going to respond when they noticed it was aiming for Enchanter.
"His problem?" Arachnid asked.
"Works for me." Toy Maker agreed. Enchanter dived to the side as the pure white hawk glided up and around to make another pass at the wizard.
"What a beautiful creature." Enchanter commented. The hawk shrieked again. It dived down again - Enchanter was able to avoid the angry bird with more ease.
"Friend of yours?" Arachnid asked.
"Are you serious? That's a bird?" Enchanter replied. The angry hawk circled around and then landed before Enchanter. The wizard looked at the bird to see if there was anything remotely familiar about it - but could see nothing.
"Are you owned by a person I know?" Enchanter asked curiously.
"I'm not owned by anything you snake charmer!" the hawk shouted in a female, human voice. Both Arachnid and Toy Maker calmly looked over at Enchanter to see if he could explain this - odd situation to them.
"Old girlfriend?" Toy Maker asked curiously.
"Girlfriend? GIRLFRIEND? I was to be his wife!" the hawk emotionally exclaimed.
"Wife?" Arachnid and Toy Maker repeated together.
"Oh yes! I remember the day all too well. This man - weaseled his way into my father's kingdom using his charms and spells." The hawk began as she pointed her wing accusingly at Enchanter.
"He bewitched my father into promising me to him. He used his powers to seduce me. He 'charmed' me into telling him things about the kingdom. He used that knowledge to plunder all of the mana from the land. He said that - that he had urgent matters to attend to abroad - then he would return. But you never did! You never intended to come back!" the hawk screamed.
"That does fit your profile." Toy Maker commented.
"I - find myself agreeing with him. Shame on you Enchanter." Arachnid added with a smug smile. Enchanter scowled at the two wizards and then looked at the angry hawk.
"Princess - Tuly?" he asked hesitantly. The hawk ruffled her feathers in disgust at hearing him repeat her name.
"I'm surprised you remember my name after all the cheap whores you've been with." She retorted crossly.
"You were hardly cheap." Enchanter retorted. The hawk screeched and attempted to rip off the wizard's face with her claws but was held back by Toy maker.
"Easy - calm." Toy maker stated as he tried to hold the bird back. Tuly screeched and tried to get at the smug looking wizard who was enjoying the display.
"He isn't worth it. He is trying to play on your emotions. Don't let him." Toy Maker whispered. The hawk began to calm down a bit. She shook loose of the wizard that was holding her back and landed a few feet away from them.
"Okay - you are one of his past victims. That much we know. Why are you here?" Arachnid asked seriously. The hawk looked away from Enchanter to get a better look at who was talking to her.
"Ours was a mana rich kingdom. Almost all of the noble line was blessed with magical prowess. After he drained the lands dry - I was disowned by my family and exiled. I was consumed by my own hatred for him. I sought whatever tool I could that would aid me in my quest for vengance." She replied as she looked back at Enchanter who showed no signs of remorse.
"And when you heard of the dark power that this place held..." Toy Maker began.
"I had little choice but to come." Tuly concluded.
"The plot thickens." Arachnid commented. It was then that Tuly turned and glared at Toy maker and Arachnid  
"If you two are friends of his..." she began.
"Friend - is not the word I would use." Toy maker retorted.
"What he said." Arachnid added. Tuly was going to comment when her eyes locked onto Markys.
"What a pretty bird." Markys said with a wide smile. Tuly trembled a bit.
"Markys." Tuly replied quietly.
"Be our guide." She requested as a white aura surrounded the child's eyes. The hawk tensed up as she tried to resist the spell that was being cast on her.
"I - ah - uh - n-will - o-obey - ma-master." Tuly strained.
"Wow. The kid did that." Arachnid whispered.
"I saw it to. I never saw white magic look so dark." Toy Maker added. They watched as the hawk flew over and landed on Enchanter's shoulder.
"Tuly knew you by name. Care to explain?" Arachnid asked coldly.
"As we sought her out - Tuly must have done the same." Enchanter justified.
That doesn't explain the fear. Toy maker thought.
"Uhm, is having her as our guide wise? She doesn't exactly like me and wouldn't lose much sleep if she walked me into harm's way." Enchanter asked - Tuly slowly looked over at Enchanter and glared at him.
"Hmm. Pretty bird won't hurt you. Not with me here. Pretty bird will behave." Markys replied with a smile.
"Why does she not like you?" she asked. Enchanter looked at the hatred coming from the eyes of the hawk and then looked down at Markys.
"Explain your way out of this one charmer." Arachnid goaded.
"Well, it depends on how you choose to look at the situation." He began. Tuly's claws began to dig into his shoulder. His eyes widened as he looked over at the hawk.
"She believes I used her. But I told her what I was about - why I was there and that I was going to leave. She chose not to listen." He rationalized.
"You hurt her?" Markys asked innocently.
"I - guess I did." He replied as he saw the disappointment in the child's eyes.
"Look, I've done some things in my past that I'm not very proud of - what happened with her - I guess would be one of them." Enchanter began.
"He guessed." Toy Maker repeated.
"Sounds sincere to me." Arachnid added disbelievingly.
"Anyway - I am sure that it is something that we can discuss at some other time." he continued as he glared at the two wizards that were trying to make this situation harder for him than necessary.
"Why not now?" she asked.
"Well, it would be sort of hard for me to talk about that sort of thing with a woman that looks like a little girl." He replied calmly. Markys smiled at Enchanter.
"You think of me as a woman?" she asked wide-eyed. Tuly rolled her eyes in disbelief and looked away.
"Well, that is what you are, but I am sure we can discuss that when we are not being so closely watched." He replied seriously.
"Okay." She replied with a smile.
"Attack!" a surly voice shouted. They all looked at the mountain and saw an army of orcs charging out from secretive hiding places.
"Orcs? How did they get here so fast?" Arachnid asked.
"Must be mountainwalkers. Stand back people - this one's on me." Toy Maker stated. With a wave of his hands an invisible barrier appeared between them and the charging army. Toy Maker and the others watched as the orcs got closer and closer. Then they all watched as the army slammed into the barrier.
"What is that?" Markys asked.
"Force field. A rare spell I acquired from a plainswalker that was fool enough to think that would stop me. it will only stall them though - not stop them." Toy maker replied calmly.
"I think I can buy us some time." Enchanter replied calmly. With a wave of his hand a fog quickly blew in.
"A fog spell? Sometimes I wonder how you've survived as long as you have using such parlor tricks. Watch and learn - Enchanter." Arachnid muttered in disgust. Green energy spiraled around Arachnid. The others watched as he raised one hand to the cloudy sky. Thunder resounded over the mountain. It was then that a magical sword dropped from the heavens like an arrow from the gods and stabbed into the ground where the army of orcs was. A violent explosion sent a good portion of them soaring.
"A storm seeker. Very dramatic - but not very effective. By the look of it - all you did was stun them." Toy maker commented. A dark smile crossed Arachnid's face.
"Stunned - is how I like them. I call upon my brothers to the north!" he replied. Toy maker looked over and saw four man sized spiders appear. His eyes widened - but he managed to remain focused to keep the force field up.
"Four against an army?" Enchanter asked.
"They will be more than enough. Go my brothers - feast!" Arachnid ordered. The four spiders hopped over the barrier and attacked four orcs. But much as the others anticipated - the orcs began to mob the spiders.
"They aren't doing the job." Enchanter pointed out.
"They will! Grow - grow - grow!" Arachnid reassured. The four spiders almost tripled in size. But despite the fact that the orcs were now facing giant spiders, for every one that the spiders seemed to kill - ten more orcs seemed to descend from the mountain to replace the fallen.
"No - there is too many of them." Arachnid stated. Dark energies began to spiral around him.
"A pox on you vile things!" he hissed. A black wind blew across the battlefield. The wizards could hear the sounds of the orcs screaming as their bodies turned to ash. Arachnid watched as one of his spiders fell prey to the spell as well.
"Hmm. The pox has softened them up. I guess now it is my turn to contribute." Enchanter commented. With a wave of his hand - blue energy began to spiral around him.
"Toy Maker - you should appreciate this one. I picked this spell up in the same place you undoubtedly got that boat of yours. This one is called - the dance of many." Enchanter commented. Like an illusion - an army of blue orcs began to rise up from the fog.
"Where they come from?" an orc shouted. The wizards watched as the orcs fought against the spell that Enchanter had cast.
"You can lower the force field. I have things well under control now." Enchanter suggested confidently.
"Doesn't that spell require some upkeep?" Toy maker asked hesitantly.
"It can be costly - I guess it will depend on how well these orcs fight." Enchanter replied. Within moments - the army of orcs was almost an army of corpses. Of the army of dozens - only a small handful was left to retreat back into the mountains. It was then that the blue skinned orcs turned and glared at the wizards.
"Enchanter - those things - are looking at us funny." Arachnid pointed out. The army growled and charged at the wizards.
"As I said earlier - I have the situation under control." Enchanter stated as he stopped feeding the enchantment he had cast. The wizards watched as the orcs became apparition like and faded into nothing.
"Things I cast - exist only so long as I allow them to." He replied calmly. Lord Arachnid hurried over to where his spider had fallen and where the other injured spiders were waiting.
"I am sorry my brothers. I didn't realize that there were that many of them." he said quietly. With a wave of his hand - the ashes of the dead spider vanished. He then looked at the wounded spiders and sighed.
"Return home - heal." He stated calmly. The spiders nodded and faded into the fog.
"You talk to them like they are people." Toy Maker stated curiously.
"I wouldn't expect an artificer to understand a bond that exists between a family. Keep your opinions to yourself. No one else is interested." Arachnid retorted coldly.
"Behave girls. Now isn't the time to fight amongst ourselves." Enchanter goaded.
"Watch your back Enchanter - you tread a thin line in such a dangerous place." Arachnid retorted. The small gathering remained quiet for a while. But stopped moving when they saw a cloud on the plain near the mountains.
"What do you suppose is causing that?" Enchanter asked.
"Hmm. Why not send your girlfriend to scout it out?" Arachnid suggested.
"Why not? Tuly - be a dear and fly over that cloud and tell us what is going on." He repeated. The hawk glared at him but flew away to do as she was told.
"Pretty bird." Markys said happily.
"She was a pretty woman." He added. Mere moments later she returned and landed on his shoulder.
"Two - armies - are fighting. Desert heroes and goblins." She replied quietly as though in a trance.
"Time for my dumb question for the day - but should we help out?" Arachnid asked sarcastically.
"Heroes no like help." Markys replied.
"And I wouldn't trust a goblin to fall down. I saw leave them to their own devices." Toy maker added.
"Huh. How about that? we may not have to concern ourselves after all. Look - it seems as though our thoughtful friends are taking their fight into the mountains." Enchanter commented.
"Looks as though the goblins are resorting to the better part of valor." Toy maker commented.
"Yeah - discretion. Weak creatures." Arachnid said in disgust.
"Heroes are protected from red." Markys commented.
"Hmm. I guess they were wise to run then. Come along people. As charming as the view is from here there are still more important places that we must be."  Arachnid stated as he made his way down the mountain path. The others followed a few steps behind.
After a few hours of walking, they found themselves at the boarder of a prosperous town that bordered the plains and the mountains. All of the people appeared to be normal enough despite living is such a dangerous place.
"Odd - so normal a place - amidst all of this." Toy Maker commented.
"I wouldn't say - normal." Enchanter commented as a voluptuous woman walked over to where they were and bowed to Enchanter.
"Greetings travelers. Welcome to the town of Lotani." She said politely as she smiled at Enchanter. Markys scowled at the woman who was now focusing all of her attention on Enchanter.
"Are you a prince on a quest?" she asked.
"You could say that. Are you a princess in need of saving?" he replied. Arachnid and Toy maker stepped away. They had a hunch that this show was going to take a little while.
"You are too funny. Do you have any plans for tonight?" she asked curiously. Just then Tuly began to dig her claws into his shoulder. He smiled and looked at the angry bird.
"Hey - Toy Maker - hold my bird for me." he stated as grabbed Tuly and threw the bird over to where Toy maker was waiting. Tuly was going to fly back and attack him - but Toy maker whispered something to her that seemed to calm her down.
"I don't like you!" Markys stated seriously. The woman looked down at the angry looking girl.
"How precious. Is she your daughter?" the woman asked.
"No - I'm not." Markys hissed. Her eyes glowed red. The woman began to back away from the angry child. Just then - all of her clothes burst into flames and were instantly reduced to ash. The woman looked around as people began to laugh at her and make crude comments. She cried out and frantically ran away.
"Why did you do that?" Enchanter asked as he shook Markys by the shoulders.
"Nice going Enchanter. You made her jealous." Toy Maker stated.
"And he was worried about Tuly being our guide. Imagine if Markys gets in a mood because of you." Arachnid added intolerantly.
"Why did you do that?" Enchanter repeated ignoring them.
"Why mad at me? I thought you wanted to see her naked." She replied sadly.
"Uh, I have a feeling this is going to turn my stomach if I watch any more. I'm picking up some supplies spider. Do whatever you want." Toy maker stated as he made his way away from the conversation he knew was coming. Arachnid began to sense it too and wandered away into the shadows.
"I'm not mad - I'm disappointed. You could have hurt her." he stated seriously.
"You don't trust me?" she retorted.
"I trust you with my life. I wouldn't be here otherwise." He replied calmly.
"Then why are you getting mad at me over this? Why do you need her when you have me?" she asked.
"I know that you are not truly a child - but for all practical purposes you are." He began.
"But I grow up fast here. Can't you see? I'm taller than I was when we left." She stated timidly.
"Actually - I can, but you still are in a child's body. Please wait here. I'm going to make sure that the woman you scared off isn't hurt - okay?" he asked seriously. Markys sighed and reluctantly nodded her head. Enchanter smiled and calmly walked away from her.
You don't need her. she thought as a wicked smile crossed her face.
On the other side of town, Toy Maker was appraising several gemstones that one vendor had in his possession. Just by holding the stones in his hands he could sense the power within them.
"I have never seen jewels like these before." He commented.
"They are pretty." Tuly commented. Toy Maker looked over at the hawk perched on his shoulder.
"Sorry." she replied.
"Don't be. Vendor - what can you tell me about these?" he replied and asked. The vendor walked over and examined the stones in the wizard's gauntlet.
"The are diamonds from a distant land. Each holds a different color of mana - so I am told. In any event - they are still very precious." The vendor replied seriously.
"No doubt. How did you acquire them?" he asked.
"A traveler found them in a hidden pouch on a mutilated body. The poor victim was probably ambushed by orcs - tragedy." The vendor answered. Toy maker quietly laughed and shook his head.
"A likely story - but I will buy them regardless." He stated as he tossed a small pouch of coins to the vendor. Toy maker carefully examined his newest purchase.
"May I ask a question?" Tuly asked.
"Of course." He replied not taking his eyes from the stones.
"You claim not to be Enchanter's friend - but you keep me from ripping his lying face off." She commented. Toy maker put the jewels into his pocket and looked at the hawk.
"Unless you have some secret power that I can't detect - there is no way that you would be able to do that. If you persist in trying to attack him - he will tire of it - and hurt you or worse." Toy Maker stated seriously. Tuly wanted to argue the fact - but she knew that he was right. As she was - she was powerless to do anything to her enemy.
"Be patient. He will get his soon enough. His kind always does." He added politely. As they walked away from the vendor to see what else they could find in the town.
On the outskirts of town, Arachnid had managed to find a hut that specialized in black magic. On the shelves he saw various spells and scrolls - all of which were common place to him.
"Can I interest you in anything sir?" an old woman asked as she limped over to where he was.
"Don't know yet. Nibbles and I were just looking around. So far all I see are a lot of common place spells." He replied seriously.
"Nibbles?" she asked. His pet spider crawled out from his hood and perched itself on his shoulder.
"That has to be one of the rarest spiders I have ever seen. You must be a spider mage." She stated.
"Must have a crystal ball hidden here." He muttered sarcastically.
"I do actually, but that wouldn't interest you. You must be here seeking the Tomb of the Ancient Spider Lords - the scholars - of spider magic." She stated. He was going to dismiss her answer when he began to acknowledge what she had said.
"Actually - I've never heard of them." he replied honestly.
"You haven't? Hmm. I apologize, when I saw your pet - I presumed." She began.
"Yeah, yeah - what about these Spider Lords?" he asked seriously.
"As I said - they were the masters of spider magic - and rumors have it - that they were responsible for the destruction of the legendary city - of Crae." She replied. Arachnid raised a finger and rubbed his jaw with it.
"That - is a name I know." he replied seriously.
"Ah - then you have come in search of the Spider of Crae." She stated with a smile.
"You - have hit the spider on the web. Can you help me?" he asked with a smile. Two scrolls magically appeared in the woman's hands.
"I am sure that we can work out - some sort of arrangement." She replied as they both laughed an evil laugh.
To be continued...
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