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“A collection of magical items to extend a shaman’s or magician’s power.”
“Have you been here before?” asked Ghul Lykos.
“No,” admitted Harlin. “But I was made aware of this place by a trusted source and we need this shortcut, plus the help of a friend who lives here.”
Ghul Lykos put his hand on his sword hilt and loosened the blade in its scabbard, ready to draw if anything unexpected happened. “Again, I don’t think you know the meaning of the word.”
Harlin glared at him but remained silent.
The tree branches scratched and pulled at their faces and Daemona had to lay low to her horse’s mane to avoid the drooping leaves and needles. The horses themselves were skittish and slowed to a crawl. “This isn’t worth it. Going the wrong way, slow as snails—”
“Stop your grumbling,” snapped Harlin. “We’re here.” He and his mount disappeared into a curtain of greenery. Ghul Lykos followed and then Daemona urged her skittish horse through.
They were in an open clearing within a dark canyon. The high grey cliffs surrounded them on every side. A large tent of skins sat at the back of the clearing as well as a table, one enormous chair, and the flames of a cookfire coiling in its stone ring. Smoke rose into the sky like a snake dancing to a flute. Numerous fetish pieces hung in the trees surrounding the clearing.
The hairs on the back of Daemona’s neck stood straight up.First chance I get, I’m riding out of here.
“Who’s there?” rumbled a deep voice like thunder.
“It’s me, Harlin, the royal huntsman, come to ask for your debt repaid,” he said as he dismounted. The others did the same, if a little more tentatively.
“Go away. I’ve no coin for you today. Maybe next month,” rumbled the voice.
Daemona felt the rumble of that voice in her bones. It made her think the man inside must be a giant.
“No,” said Harlin firmly. “I’m asking you to repay your debt by granting us passage through the veil and coming with us on our quest.”
A huge green head, topped with a mat of black hair and covered in warts, stuck outside the tent. Daemona gasped in shock. Ghul Lykos drew his sword. Harlin raised his hands to calm them.
“Hold! This is Tish, a friend. Tish, these are my companions,” said Harlin. “They are with me.”
“Friend?” asked Daemona in surprise. Ghul Lykos reciprocated her astonished look. “A ogre named Tish?”
Harlin continued, “I need you to take us beyond the veil of your ancestors and transport us to the Acheronian Swamp. I am sure your skill will be most useful in our quest.”
The ogre stepped outside of its tent and its great belly shook with laughter. “You always were funny, Harlin. And I can take your kidding, but such a thing has never been done with humans before,” said Tish. “It’s not polite to mock one’s sacred trust.”
“I’m not joking,” answered the huntsman. “Do me this favor and we are square.”
The ogre’s face took on a more cantankerous look, and with a frown, Tish said, “No. I don’t owe you that much.”
“You owe me your life!”
Tish slammed its broad hands down on the table, nearly smashing the thing to splinters. “Aye, I do. But that is less than letting puny humans invade the sacred Spirit Walker realm of the ogres.”
“I’m not a human, I’m a Succubus,” Daemona said.
“Like I care,” answered Tish, with a shrug. “I cannot do this for any but ogres.”
Harlin was a big man but stood no taller than Tish’s mid-section. Still, he poked a finger into the ogre’s belly. “Listen. I have an important mission from King Graymont. I must find his daughters, Princess Sykaryn and, hopefully, Princess Tamar too. They have been taken.”
Tish sucked at its wrinkled lips and asked, “Taken by who?”
“Likely by Ghul Tark and others who serve the Grey Sovereign. I know you don’t want them to succeed in their endeavors, so I’m asking for your help with the one thing you can do before this becomes a full-blown war. We need your help.”
Tish scratched a sudden itch on the back of its neck. “I can’t betray my ancestors and share that sacred knowledge with humans and a slutty Succubus,” it said, pointing an accusing finger at Daemona.
“How can we compromise on this?” Harlin asked. “Can you take us through, without sharing how you do it?”
