Only Teryn seemed to remain awake and aware of what was happening. He guessed that it was because he had been the one to channel the spell.
He had the sudden sensation that he was flying, weightless, zooming over great distances. His cloak blew in a strange wind that he could neither sense nor feel. He looked down at his feet, but they were still planted firmly on the ground and had not budged. All around him, the blue light shone, surrounding the three and blocking out everything else.
After what seemed like few short minutes, the blue light faded, replaced with tall trees and thick grasses. A large, imposing peak stood watch over them in the distance.
Talon fell to the ground, then, faceplanting firmly in the dirt with a loud thud.
Teryn looked all around him and his smile became more complete. They had reached their destination in one piece.
Well, that was quick.
Teryn brushed some dust off his robes and took in his surroundings. A massive forest loomed all about them, blocking their path forward toward Mount Malabohr. Above them, moonlight filtered through the forest canopy. Even through the treetops he could tell the moons were mostly full and provided plenty of light to see by.
Actually, it took about an hour. It just seemed really quick, Terwain said, breaking his concentration.
Well, who asked you? he scoffed.
Um, you did?
That wasn’t a question! Teryn insisted.
Don't worry about it. No skin off your back.
What? Teryn asked, thoroughly confused by the statement.
Well, I couldn’t very well say “my back” because I don’t have one, now could I?
I guess not, but I was wondering what the whole thing meant.
Oh, it’s roughly translated as, ‘No more eggs in my basket,’ or ‘I’m down with that.’ I keep forgetting you humans have weird sayings.
Our sayings are weird? He sighed and let the matter drop, blocking out Terwain’s response. He had bigger problems.
His eyes trailed toward the giant man laying at his feet, who was busy picking himself off the ground, a giant distorted grimace on his face.
Teryn groaned. His gambit had only half-worked. He was well away from the Guild, but Talon had come along for the ride. He still needed to find a way to get away from him.
“What have you done? Where have you taken us?” Talon demanded as he wiped a large gob of dirt off his face. He looked a little greenish, like he might be sick, but still incredibly pissed off. If at all possible, he looked even angrier than before.
“Somewhere safe,” Teryn huffed, moving to make sure he blocked Valeria. At least, he hoped that was the case. He didn’t really know for sure.
“Somewhere safe?” Talon balked, shaking his head. “Do you even know where here is?”
“Of course he does,” Valeria insisted, finally letting go of his waist. He took in a sharp breath as his lungs relaxed. “Don’t you, Teryn?”
“Like the lady said, of course I do,” Teryn lied. In truth, he had no idea where Mount Malabohr was. The only thing he was sure of was that it wasn’t where Talon had wanted to take him, and that was enough for now.
“Oh really? Where’s the closest settlement, then?” Talon asked. “Which direction is north? What kinds of animals inhabit this forest? Which vegetation is safe to ingest in this area?”
With each successive question, Teryn’s heart sank a little more. He didn’t know where they were, and he didn’t know how to get anywhere of importance, either. The holes in his plan were quickly becoming more and more evident.
“That’s what I thought,” Talon said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fortunately for all of us, I do. We’re about a week’s travel from Coontan’s capital. You two are coming with me for real this time.” He glared at Teryn condescendingly. “Unless you’d rather stay here by yourselves?”
Teryn opened his mouth to say something, but closed it just as quickly and lowered his gaze. Talon had the right of it. He was lost, and he didn’t have the fortitude for another teleport. At least not right now. He’d have to suck it up and let Talon guide them for a little while.
Just until he could plan their escape, of course.
“That’s what I thought,” Talon snapped. He sneered at Teryn and Valeria again. “Just try to keep up. I don’t have time for more delays.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Talon marched off to the west, in the direction of Coontan. It didn’t take long for the two mages to follow him, sullen expressions on their faces.
As they marched on through the dark woods, he gave them their orders – when they would break for sleep, when they would break to eat, and at what pace they would march. It was a grueling pace, but the two accepted it in silence, not having the strength to argue.
After an hour or so, the mages finally started to keep with his pace without him having to adjust it every other minute or so.
He huffed. That Teryn fellow had probably boosted his and Valeria’s strength a little with one of his spells. He wasn’t the fondest of magic, but could understand its use when it made sense, so he said nothing.
Talon looked back at his quarry often, making sure they didn’t lag too far behind. As much as he hated the idea, eventually he gave in and started taking more breaks than he had originally planned. This worried him a little. The forests surrounding Mount Malabohr could be dangerous in the daylight.
Nevertheless, the two wizards could only go so far before needing a break, even with viriboost spells to keep their strength up.
When the sun rose shortly before eight in the morning, Talon figured they’d had enough marching for the moment. They weren’t far from the forest’s borders. Hopefully the dangers would be less out here.
He told the two wizards it was time to rest, much to their
