The alpha snarled, and Galfin winced when he felt jaws clamp around his boots. He attempted to kick the unseen creature off but another grabbed hold of his other foot before he was able to. Creatures fell to arrows around him and Galfin felt rather than saw some of them peel off to leap across the bridge. Soon, his only lifeline would be gone.

  The leaves overhead rustled, as the wind began to pick up. Soon it began to howl. A creature close to Galfin shrieked as it was blown off the side. As branches were stripped of their leaves, sunlight began to shine through, causing the creatures attacking Galfin to burst into flames. The alpha continued its assault stubbornly, even as it burned, and the heat singed the man’s face. Then, he felt the weight disappear from his legs. Only heat remained.

  Galfin shook the charred corpses off his feet and shimmed them under the alpha’s burning corpse before kicking it off with both legs. He scrambled to his feet just as the creature lunged for his neck, and split its head with a powerful swing of his axe. As he stood panting, he looked around frantically for signs of more creatures. Finding none, he glanced over his shoulder to see Aeldra standing on the bridge with half a dozen dead creatures at her feet. Ondra stood close by with her hand raised. She was pale and looked weak, and when she lowered her hand, the wind died down.

  The lumberjack turned back to the platform to watch for any other Enemy creatures while waiting for the others to arrive. When they drew nearer, he heard Aeldra complain.

  “You know it was blasphemous to blow the leaves off a sacred tree like that, don’t you?” she moaned.

  “It was more blasphemous to have these creatures scurrying about the tree, wasn’t it?” Ondra countered.

  “I suppose,” Aeldra frowned. “But the High Priestess would have a conniption if she what you did.”

  “If you’re quite done, ladies,” Galfin frowned when he turned around and saw Findel still struggling across the bridge. “He’s not got the hang of this yet, has he?”

  “We should hurry,” Aeldra warned. “It is a long way down to ground level and…”

  The elf was cut off by a distant thud that was followed by a tremor under their feet. The bridge began to sway gently, and Findel lowered himself and spread his arms out to maintain his balance. The blood drained from Aeldra’s face, and she peered over the side.

  “The creatures are attacking the great tree… what has become of the Rangers?”

  “Your Chieftain’s orders were clear,” Ondra reminded her. “He believes in our cause.”

  “She’s right,” Galfin offered. “Trust in the others. Trust in the Captain.”

  After a long pause, Aeldra tore her gaze from the tree and turned her ire on Findel. “Hurry up, or we’ll leave you behind!”

  Without waiting for the dwarf to arrive on the platform, Aeldra spun on her heel and hurried towards the next bridge. This one was far longer than the others and connected the great tree Helurid with her neighbour, Hivea.

  “Go on without me,” Findel called. “I’ll catch up.”

  Galfin looked at him and was filled with pity. His face was as white as a sheet and dripped with sweat. Each step was laborious, and a battle seemingly fought and won when it was completed. The man’s heart wished he could go across and help the dwarf with his misery, but he knew that his responsibility was to watch his partner’s back. Reluctantly, he turned his back on the dwarf and followed after Aeldra.

  “I will help him,” Galfin almost came to a stop when he heard Chelhem speak.

  “No, child, what if he topples, taking you with him?” Ondra cried.

  “We are all risking our lives, and everyone needs to pull their weight,” the boy replied. “Besides, are we as a people worth saving if we abandon our companions in their time of need?”

  “Well said, boy,” Ondra sighed reluctantly.

  “I always thought the creatures of the Enemy were mindless beasts that only knew how to destroy,” Aeldra remarked when Galfin caught up with her. “It chills me to think that they may be intelligent.”

  The elf frowned as she looked at the next bridge. “The dwarf should have an easier time from here on out.”

  The bridge to Hivea was meant as a way for guests to enter the village and as such possessed rope handrails as did the stairs built into the side of Hivea that led down to ground level. Another large tremor shook the tree. This one was strong enough to cause the leaves overhead to rustle. Aeldra went pale, and Galfin bit his lip. Helurid had been his home for two years, and what was happening to it wrenched his heart. He couldn’t imagine how his partner felt. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Findel was now safely across the bridge. The dwarf’s legs were shaky as he jogged over with Chelhem and Ondra by his side. The relief on his face was clear to see when he saw the handrails on the bridge and stairs, and Galfin looked away to hide his smile.

  “Aeldra, you have to keep in mind that we were tasked to protect these three,” Galfin whispered.

  The elf clicked her tongue irritably, and Galfin gave her a sharp look. At length, Aeldra’s shoulders slumped. “I know, you don’t have to keep reminding me…”

  “The bridge looks clear,” Galfin remarked. “Do you think any creatures are lurking on the other side?”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “None that I can see,” Aeldra replied, happy to have the subject changed.

  Galfin took a deep breath before hefting his axe. “I’ll lead the way.”

  “And I’ll watch your back,” Aeldra said before turning to Ondra. “Wizard, do you have any more spells?”

  “Not until I rest, I’m afraid,” she replied. “And I don’t suggest we wait for me. Every minute we tarry here is another minute less of daylight we have to put distance between ourselves and that spire.”

  “Then I had better get going,” Galfin breathed before stepping onto the bridge.

  He padded across slowly, with his senses strained, trying to pick up any further signs of the enemy. Upon reaching Hivea, he peered down the stairs before turning to his companions and beckoned them over. As they crossed the bridge, an ear-splitting boom thundered through the air. Galfin looked around frantically.

  “The tree, is the tree alright?” he gasped.

  “It came from the spire,” Aeldra said, looking in that direction.

  Galfin followed her gaze, and his jaw dropped when he saw thick black smoke billowing from its top. “Do you think it is under attack?”

  “We should be so lucky,” Ondra replied. “It is a signal.”

  “What sort of signal?” Aeldra demanded.

  The woman shrugged. “I couldn’t begin to guess.”

  “It’s so quiet now,” Chelhem breathed.

  Aeldra held up a finger for silence. Her ears twitched, and the elf opened her mouth slightly to allow her to hear better. After a few tense moments, she blinked. “You’re right. Perhaps they reached the end of their rope.”

  “Or they discovered that we are no longer in the main tree,” Ondra breathed. Her eyes darted around looking for signs of hidden spies.

  “The timing does line up,” Galfin offered when the elf frowned.

  Aeldra began to scrutinize their surroundings, and Findel shifted uncomfortably. “I thought we were in a hurry.”

  “She thinks the Enemy is tracking us,” Ondra said. “Our guide is searching for spies.”

  At length, Aeldra turned her gaze on the trio. “I can detect no Enemy presence.”

  Findel smirked. “Perhaps they are too well hidden for even elf eyes to detect.”

  Galfin winced when a shadow passed over his partner’s face.

  “Or perhaps the spies are hidden on your body,” she muttered, half to herself.

  The dwarf frowned. “Eh?”

  Without warning, Aeldra’s hand shot out and seized the edge of his cloak and tugged it closer to her face so that she could study it.

  “Be gentle!” Findel cried. “It has served me well all the way from Karlhad!”

  “These burrs,” she frowned. “They’re not native to this area.”

  “And we didn’t cross through any other vegetation from Karlhad to here,” Ondra remarked.

  “That is a tragedy all on its own,” Aeldra murmured.

  “It will be a shame, but we shall have to rid ourselves of these cloaks,” Ondra declared.

  “And your trousers too, and the rest of your clothes to be safe,” Aeldra observed, looking down at their garments. “Do you have spares? Spares that you haven’t touched over the course of your journey?”

  “Why not just pluck the burrs out?” Findel cried. “What a waste!”

  “We might miss some, and I fear I am not skilled enough to know if they have left any residual magic the Enemy can detect,” Aeldra pointed out.

  “We don’t even know if these burrs are how we are being tracked, or if we are being tracked at all,” Chelhem added.

  Ondra plucked a burr from the corner of her cloak and examined it closely. “If this thing is emitting magic, it is subtle. Too subtle for me to detect.”

  “You should discard your clothes all the same,” Aeldra said.

  “Wait, not here!” Galfin cried as Ondra was about to tear her cloak off.

  “This is hardly the time for modesty,” she began.

  Galfin shook his head. “No, that’s not it… There’s a river not far from here. If you throw your clothes into it, the current should carry it downstream.”

  Aeldra’s eyes lit up. “To the West. If the Enemy is tracking them, it should buy us some time.”

  Ondra grinned and clapped Galfin on the shoulder. “Now here I was thinking you were just a strong arm. You are proving to be quite the valuable addition indeed.”

  Galfin lowered his head to hide his embarrassment. “We need to go. I will lead the way.”

  “If they are tracking us, won’t they be lying in wait for us down there?” Findel ventured.

  “That may be,” Aeldra agreed. “It is almost midday, and the sun is at its brightest. They will not last long I would wager, and if they did, I would see the smoke coming off them from miles away.”

  “Move,” Galfin said as he hurried down the stairs. “We must hurry if we want to be out of sight of the tower before dark.”

  “That doesn’t give us much time,” Ondra remarked as she and the others began descending the broad stairs that wound their way around Hivea’s trunk all the way down to ground level. “Our horses will be tired, so we will not be able to ride them hard.”

  “Your horses will be staying here,” Aeldra remarked. “Even if they survived the earlier battle. We cannot risk going over to the village’s main entrance to retrieve them.”

  “Then we certainly will not be able to reach our first hideout before nightfall,” Ondra warned.

  “Wasn’t that hideout compromised?” Galfin ventured. “Why else were you riding out at night?”

  Ondra blinked. “Now that you mention it, we probably picked these burrs up the day before…”

  “Where was this hideout?” Galfin asked. “In the ruins of Islop?”

  Ondra shook her head. “In the remnants of an old inn about five miles from here.”

  “That would have been the Bee Pot Inn, I reckon,” Galfin remarked. “It was a waystation for travellers on the Eastern trunk road.

  “Are you from this area?” Chelhem asked.

  Galfin nodded slowly. “I am.”

  “My people have a few hideouts within the Plains of Burnt Sands from which we observe the Enemy,” she said. “We can hide in one of those.”

  “That is risky,” Findel pointed out. “If we are discovered, we will be out in the open, won’t we? Running will be dicey.”

  “Then we had better not be discovered,” Aeldra replied simply.

  “Perhaps it will be safer if we spend the night in the forest,” Ondra offered. “And depart at dawn as we were supposed to.”

  “My orders were clear and inflexible,” Aeldra said. “You are to leave our lands as quickly as possible.”

  Findel looked as though he was about to protest but was stopped by Ondra's hand on his shoulder.

  “Of course,” she said, smiling brightly. “We are but guests in your lands and you have been gracious hosts.”

  “You would do well to remember that,” Aeldra sniffed. “And the destruction you have visited upon my home.”

  The bitterness was clear in her voice and Galfin wagered it was from a combination of being ordered to leave, and the Enemy attack their guests' presence had triggered. Soon, they arrived at the forest floor. Grass covered every inch like a soft carpet, and sunlight streamed down through the gaps between the leaves, but Galfin's instincts screamed something was amiss.

  “It's quiet,” he breathed.

  “The birds should have begun singing again after the attack,” Aeldra agreed as she looked around warily.

  “Didn't you say it was almost midday?” Ondra asked.

  When Aeldra nodded, the wizard pointed to the sky. “It's a little dark despite being so close to midday, isn't it?”

  Galfin looked up and saw that the sky was turning dark. Then, he became aware of the faint scent of smoke that permeated the air.

  “The spire!” he gasped. “The smoke it is spewing is blotting out the sun!”

  “What does this mean?” Findel wondered.

  “That another attack is coming,” Ondra replied. “Sooner rather than later.”

  "You need to discard your clothes quickly, then," Galfin warned. “The river is this way.”