Dan the Adventurer, page 27
part #2 of Gold Girls and Glory Series
The spear grazed harmlessly off Roderick’s armor, and he batted the elf away with a backhand, but Dan and Jorbin Ateel attacked in that moment.
Roderick bellowed and staggered backward, bleeding from gaping wounds in his chest and abdomen, wounds that would have killed most warriors. Apparently, Roderick also had a lot of hit points.
Nadia pounced, snapping at his throat, but Roderick’s mailed fist knocked her to the ground.
Dan lunged, stabbing Roderick in the forearm. Jorbin dipped between the slaver’s legs, dragging his blade along the inside of Roderick’s thigh. The elf reappeared, surging forward with the battle cry of “Fire Ridge!” and punched his spear into Roderick’s chest, knocking the man from his feet. Nadia surged forward, grabbing Roderick by the back of the neck.
Then the ground shook, and Nadia yelped and rushed into the air, skewered on the lance of the forwardmost rider.
“No!” Dan shouted. Leaping forward, he yanked the horseman from his saddle and drove him to the ground. The man hit with a crunching clang. Wild with rage, Dan found the man’s hair and chin, twisted hard, and snapped the bastard’s neck.
Then the world exploded.
A lance pierced Dan’s shoulder. The warhorse slammed into him, knocking him flat, and ran straight over him, pounding its iron-shod hooves into his gut as it passed.
Ignoring the pain, Dan scrambled to his feet. He and his friends drew together, back-to-back, bleeding and breathing hard, weapons at the ready, as horsemen reined into position, forming a circle around them. Lances lowered. Horses stomped, steam huffing from their nostrils into the cold night.
“You killed my son,” Roderick called from behind the stamping horses. “Now you will suffer. You’ve lost the fight and the fortress, and soon, you will lose your miserable lives. How does it feel to lose everything?” He laughed pointing behind him at the burning fortress.
“Shut your cocksucker and fight!” Jorbin Ateel squeaked.
Nadia barked laughter.
The last elf standing cackled madly.
And Dan realized that he was laughing, too. Roaring laughter, in fact, as the gnome’s high-pitched voice echoed in his ears. Shut your cocksucker and fight!
If Dan was going to die, he was glad to be dying alongside Jorbin Ateel, a fierce and foulmouthed fellow if ever there was one.
“Try not to kill them,” Roderick said. “Aim for the arms and legs. After they’re in chains, I’ll summon a healer. The torture session will last for weeks, months, possibly even years.”
The horsemen nodded and lowered their lances.
Dan turned his head quickly and kissed Nadia on the snout. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she growled. “What you say we kill more assholes?”
“You read my mind.”
“All right, men!” Roderick shouted, raising his sword in the air. “Fifty gold p—”
Whatever he was about to say was lost in the screams of the horsemen as they were ripped from their saddles and yanked into the night sky, gripped in the talons of griffons.
Yes! Dan thought. Holly!
A river of griffons rushed past. Elven riders loosed arrows, killing the few horsemen who hadn’t been snatched from their saddles.
Roderick cried out, jerking and twisting, and fell to the ground, bristling with arrow shafts.
The warhorses, having lost their riders and their nerve, rolled their big eyes skyward and scattered in all directions.
Dan marched across the meadow to where Roderick was struggling onto all fours.
Dan punted the man’s face.
Roderick dropped again and rolled onto his back, coughing blood and staring up with hatred burning in his eyes.
“You expected the red elves to be weak,” Dan said, speaking loudly so that everyone could hear him, “but they are strong. That’s why you’re going to die. Any last words?”
Eyes blazing, Roderick coughed up more blood and snarled, “Fu—”
Dan chopped his head off. Turning to Nadia, who was limping toward him, holding her side, he said, “I didn’t like where he was going with that.”
He bent, snatched up the decapitated head by its long red locks, and pointed his sword toward Fire Ridge, over which dozens of griffons now swooped and dove. “Fire Ridge!” Dan shouted, and he and his friends charged toward the battle.
45
The Price of Victory
Sometimes victory is a relative term.
Dawn broke cold and stark upon the smoldering ruins of Fire Ridge. Dan strode across the courtyard, surveying the damage and doing his best not to limp.
The elves would look to him for strength now. He would do his best to give them that much.
Their fortress was decimated—its walls smashed, its buildings gutted by fire, a third of its citizens dead, the majority of the survivors wounded, some gravely.
Having recharged their magic through predawn prayer, grey elf healers moved through the carnage, treating serious injuries. One of the healers, a silver-haired girl with kind amber eyes, approached, offering to heal Dan’s wounds.
He waved her off, just as he had previous healers, including Holly, whom he had seen only briefly since the battle. He was covered in wounds, some serious, but he would tend these with his own barbaric first aid. He would heal in time.
Others were more urgently in need.
Ula had survived, thank Crom. The brave warrior woman had nearly lost her life saving his.
The first time he’d visited her in the triage area, she had been unconscious. Returning to her now, he was happy to see that she had awakened.
Seeing him, however, Ula frowned and turned away.
Dan told a red elf to ask Ula what was wrong.
Ula grunted, sounding dejected.
“She apologizes for failing you, Master,” the red elf translated.
“What?” Dan said, confused. “She saved my life.”
The elf relayed Dan’s words. Ula shook her head and spoke again.
“She says, ‘I fell,’” the red elf translated.
“Yes,” Dan said. He lifted Ula’s chin. “You fell after I fell. You fell saving me. Thank you.”
Ula wouldn’t meet his eyes. She continued to frown even after the red elf delivered Dan’s thanks.
“Look,” Dan said, “whatever hobgoblin warrior woman bullshit you’ve latched onto, drop it. You saved my ass. In fact, you’ve erased your debt to me, all right? I’d love for you to stay, but your debt is paid, and you’re free to leave whenever you please.”
Impulsively, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Then he stood and turned away, not wanting to embarrass the fallen warrior woman.
But Ula started grunting, and the red elf called to Dan.
When he turned back, Ula was staring up at him, pointy tusks jutting from her sheepish smile.
“Master,” the red elf said, “Ula says that she will not leave. She says she will stay by your side until she is dead or until you send her away, may that day never come.”
Smiling, Dan gave them both a nod. “That makes me very happy, Ula.”
As he continued his rounds, Dan recognized the young red elf warrior who had fought by his side against Roderick. The young warrior was attending the wounded, dispensing water and celebrating the injured soldiers’ bravery.
Here’s a warrior to watch, Dan thought. He shook the young elf’s hand. “What’s your name, soldier?”
“Parus,” the warrior said.
“You fought bravely, Parus,” Dan said. “Thank you. Without your help, many more would have died.” He gestured around them.
Parus bowed. “It was an honor to fight alongside you, Master.”
“Likewise,” Dan said, and returned the bow.
Walking among the wounded, Dan offered what encouragement he could.
Red elves saluted as he passed, their eyes fierce and proud and alive in a way they hadn’t been before the Battle for Fire Ridge. They had earned the dark smudges of ash that mimicked the black flame tattoos that had adorned the cheeks of their warlike ancestors. Teetering on the brink of oblivion, these elves had resurrected the ferocity of past generations and made their stand.
The red elves’ fight was far from over, of course. Even if these had been times of peace, their situation would have been grim. Their home lay in ruins, their possessions and food stores were reduced to ash, and winter was coming. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they would likely face the wrath of the Duke of Harrisburg.
So Dan had suspected and so Roderick’s sergeant had confirmed, ranting with venomous glee in the moments before Dan had lopped off his murderous head. “The Duke has a right proper army, he does, tens of thousands of knights. He’ll fuck your women to death and cook your babies on a spit! He’ll—” but the man’s words, along with his head, were cut off at that second by Dan’s blade.
He hadn’t counted on prisoners. It was one thing to kill a man in battle, another to kill him once the battle was over. And yet Dan had made his decision seconds after seeing the bound men. He wouldn’t torture them, but he wouldn’t suffer them to live, either. They’d made their bed when they’d signed on to destroy Fire Ridge and now, by Crom, they were going to sleep in it—forever.
He’d cut off their heads himself, feeling no doubt or guilt, only leaden resignation and machinelike purpose. He left only one survivor, the youngest of the bunch, whose life he had spared in return for a promise. The raider would deliver Roderick’s decapitated head to the Duke of Harrisburg. There was no accompanying message. The head was the message.
“Why not send back all of the heads?” Briar had asked as Dan dispensed justice.
Dan turned to his grinning brother-in-law. Briar had been almost friendly since the battle. He was no doubt pleased to have avenged the murder of his brother, Nettle. Also, Dan suspected that the guy just liked fighting. “One head will do.”
“One head is a whisper,” Briar said. “A thousand heads, though? That would be a roar.”
“One head will do,” Dan repeated, “if it’s the right head.”
Briar grinned again. “Subtlety? You surprise me, barbarian. Perhaps there’s more to you than I had assumed.” The grey elf, who remained uninjured and unrumpled, pretended to study Dan then shook his head. “No, you’re still just a savage.” Then, lifting his voice, Briar called across the courtyard. “Grey elves, form up! We return to the grove!”
Briar started to turn away, but Dan caught him by the arm.
The elf turned, slipped his arm free, and regarded Dan with bored eyes. “Yes, I know. You’re grateful. Of course, you are. We saved your lives.”
“I am,” Dan said, “and you did. So yes. Thank—”
“Save the predictable goodbye,” Briar said. “Protect my sisters, or someone will be deciding what to do with your head. Understand?”
Dan felt a spike of irritation. Why did Briar have to be such a cocky asshole?
But Dan did his best to hide his anger. Briar and the grey elves had saved him and everyone else. If the prick wanted to rub Dan’s nose in it, Dan would let it slide—once.
Someday, when Dan was truly prepared, he would repay the ass-whipping his brother-in-law had given him. But not today. Not today.
“I’ll protect them with my life,” Dan said.
Whether Briar heard him or not, Dan couldn’t say, because the elf had already turned and walked away.
Lily’s farewell was far more pleasant. She hugged Dan fiercely, explaining that she had to return to the grove. Otherwise, her father would lock her in a tower for a few decades.
“Why?” Dan asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Lily said, a twinkle in her eyes. “He’s afraid that I’ll marry you, too.”
Before Dan could respond, his sister-in-law pulled his head down to hers and kissed him fiercely.
A few seconds later, Lily broke the kiss and stepped back, showing Dan a mischievous smile very much like her sister’s.
“Until we meet again, esteemed brother,” Lily said. She gave a bow and sprinted away.
He called after her, trying to thank her for her help, but she was already across the yard, hugging Holly and Nadia and saying her goodbyes.
Briar shouted angrily to his younger sister, who finally climbed on top of her griffon.
As the grey elves departed, lifting into the air as the griffons’ great wings beat powerfully, Holly and Nadia joined Dan.
He smiled. “My beautiful wives.”
He had barely seen Holly since the battle. She’d been composed and capable amidst the chaos, organizing, directing, and assisting the red elves in countless ways, a natural born leader. “Husband,” she said, embracing him. “A moment of your time.”
“Of course,” Dan said. “Roderick won’t mind the delay.”
Nadia, who had regenerated before shifting back to her human form, smirked at the decapitated head. “Is that supposed to make you look fearsome?”
“Hey,” Dan said, “nothing says ‘I’m a badass’ like carrying around the severed head of your enemy.”
“Spoken like a true barbarian,” Holly said. “Now, you remember earlier, when I mentioned my father’s wishes?”
“Of course,” Dan said.
How could he forget? When he had thanked Holly after the battle, she had confessed to some cryptic debt they now owed her father. Dan had assured her that he would pay her father’s price, whatever that might be. Holly had smiled sadly, and they had separated again to go about their separate duties.
Now, with the high of combat dissipating, weighed down by fatigue and the pain of his many wounds, Dan felt suddenly cautious. “Wait,” he said. “Your dad isn’t demanding a divorce or something, is he? Because if so, you tell him to go f—”
“No,” Holly said. “Quite the opposite, really. Nadia, stay. Please. I want you to hear this, too. We are one, the three of us, okay?”
“Sure,” Nadia said. “Thanks.”
“The thing is,” Holly said, smiling nervously, “we’re about to be four.”
“Huh?” Dan and Nadia said in unison.
“My father,” Holly said, and paused, seeming to search for the right words. “My grandmother spoke.”
“Wait,” Nadia said, “your dead grandmother?”
Holly nodded.
“I believe it,” Dan said. “She talked to me in Lynch’s classroom.”
“Father refused to help us,” Holly said. “But Grandmother started talking about the future.”
“Like a prophecy?” Nadia said. “Cool.”
“Yes, a prophecy, but no—not cool. Definitely not cool. The grove is in danger. Or rather, it’s going to be in danger. Extreme danger.”
“When?” Dan asked. “From what?”
“We don’t know,” Holly said, “but Grandmother said that only one person could save the grove.”
A ha, Dan thought, jarred out of the moment by what felt like a set-up straight out of Willis’s T&T adventures. It would make little sense, given how powerful the grove was, but Holly was about to announce that only Dan could save the grove.
Willis’s adventures didn’t always make sense. Making sense wasn’t the point. Fun was the point. Kicking ass, leveling up. Gold, girls, and glory. Amen.
“The grove can only be saved by our child,” Holly said gravely.
Dan cocked a brow. He hadn’t seen that coming. “Our child?”
“Yes,” Holly said, looking worried. “I agreed to father’s demand and said that you and I would conceive a child immediately. I hope you’re not upset.”
Dan looked at her for a second, a confused smile coming onto his face. Then he laughed. “Upset? We would have died without the grove. Why would I be upset?”
“A child will change everything,” Holly said.
Dan shrugged. “Sure,” he said, “but we’ll roll with it.”
Nadia laughed. “You’re both completely insane.” Nodding to Holly, she said, “You’re acting like this is a death sentence. And you,” she added, nodding at Dan, “are acting like Holly suggested getting a puppy.”
Dan and Holly started talking over each other, offering up personal defenses against the grinning werewolf.
“Relax,” Nadia said. “I have to admit, I’m a little pissed that you’re stealing my thunder again, you greedy elf. You were dead set against getting pregnant any time in the next twenty or thirty years. I figured I’d at least be first mom if not first wife.” She shook her head. “That being said, we’ll handle this. You’ll be a great mom, and despite his cluelessness, old Glarg the Northman here will make a great dad. And if you guys want me involved, I’ll help in any way I can.”
Holly brightened instantly. “Of course I want you involved! Every step of the way. It’s why I waited until we were all together to tell Dan. I want our child to have two mothers, and I hope that your children will view me as their mother, too.”
The girls embraced, both of them smiling and seeping tears.
“Well, if you’re happy, I’m happy,” Dan said, “but I have a head to deliver.”
Laughing, Holly said, “Sometimes I think my father is right. You humans grow up too quickly to develop wisdom.”
“Wisdom is overrated,” Dan said, hoisting Roderick’s decapitated head into the air. “Thinking kills action.”
46
The Third Gift
He started across the courtyard, meaning to deliver Roderick’s head, but Holly stopped him.
“Where do you think you’re going, mister?” she said, and started pulling him toward an alley. “We have to conceive a child.”
“What, now?” Dan said. He wanted to fall down and sleep for a long, long time. “I’m wounded.”
“The child shall be conceived in blood,” Holly said, “born in war, and raised in fire.”
Dan released a shuddering breath and tossed the head aside. “All right, all right. But after this, I’m sleeping for a year.”
“Oh no, you aren’t,” Nadia said, slipping in beside him. “You can’t neglect your second wife.”
“I haven’t slept in days,” he complained. “I’m cut to ribbons.”
