The Mapkeeper and the Rise of the Wardens (23 page)

The trolls demolished clusters of Wardens with ease, crushing the screaming creatures beneath their massive, stumpy feet with great, earth-shuddering stomps. They took the battlefield by storm, dispersing among the trees. Praxians leapt out of the way, allowing the hulking creatures to thunder past. They annihilated Wardens with stone clubs, the girths of which equaled those of the thickest trees in the forest. The trolls were shifting the tide of the battle in favor of the Praxians!

Lucy grinned at Luke. For the first time since the battle began, the glowing hope that the end was near and that Praxis would triumph reassured her. She restrung her bow and loosed a well-aimed arrow, piercing a Warden that was attempting to cast a spell on a centaur from behind a tree trunk. Then her eye was caught by two familiar figures emerging from the mist. One was a tall, slim robed man and the other was a short, stout companion. They strode into the clearing side by side.
Bade and Hobart
, Lucy thought, torn between relief and loathing.

Bade stopped at the edge of the clearing. He was tailed by two club-wielding trolls who hovered at his heels.
Personal body guards
, Lucy thought with annoyance. Bade crossed his arms and surveyed the battlefield, which was now dotted with unoccupied Praxians searching for enemies to engage. The remaining Wardens were retreating, Lucy realized with a flicker of hope. She observed as Bade’s sweeping gaze locked on Cadmus and he motioned for his colossal pair of body guards to follow as he approached the leader of the human clan.

Cadmus was wiping the blade of his sword after coming to the aid of Rolf Schuman, who’d almost been driven to exhaustion before he’d stepped in. The sweat-soaked shoemaker mopped his brow and patted Cadmus on the arm in thanks. Cadmus pointed to the cavern, insisting that the aging man take a break from fighting. Glancing about, Rolf acknowledged that the battle was winding down and jogged across the clearing into the haven. Several other Praxians were doing the same. They were exhausted, unaccustomed to the physical rigor of hand-to-hand combat.

Several creatures guided injured comrades to safety. Lucy’s chest tightened at the sight of an elf closing the eyelids of a fallen female elf. Gathering his clan-mate in his arms, the slim elf carried her toward the cavern. His gaze met Lucy’s for an instant and she saw the sheen of a tear streak on his cheek. He averted his eyes and disappeared into the tunnel leading to the cavern gate.

By now, the Wardens that weren’t killed had retreated. Nonetheless, Zadok, Axel, and five other centaurs patrolled the battleground, unwilling to retreat into their sanctuary until they were certain the enemy was eliminated. Adalia and a group of elves did the same. Lucy noticed that a large, blood-soaked bandage sheathed Adalia’s left forearm. She pressed on the wound, applying pressure to stymie the bleed.

“Let’s stay up here for a bit longer to be sure they don’t come back,” Luke suggested.

“Good idea,” Lucy replied, stringing an arrow and scanning the forest for any sign of a returning Warden. She only now realized that her shirt was sweat-soaked and the strands of hair framing her face were matted against her forehead.

She allowed her gaze to linger on Bade, who had just reached Cadmus. They were discussing something. Bade shook his head, spreading his arms in disgust and gesturing to the trolls, who at this point had reached the outskirts of the battleground, chasing the last Wardens away from the centaur cavern. Cadmus shrugged and said something in reply. Lucy wished she could hear what they were saying.

Suddenly, Cadmus glanced across the clearing at Lucy. His eyes went wide and he dropped his heavy shield. The hair on the back of Lucy’s neck rose in apprehension as he broke into a full sprint toward her. Something wasn’t right. She turned to follow his gaze just in time to see four Wardens sliding down the steep, angled cavern wall behind her. Cadmus reached the boulder and scrambled up to join Luke and Lucy just as the first Warden regained its balance atop the boulder and charged, sword brandished. Lucy jumped back, grabbing Luke’s wrist and pulling him with her. Cadmus sprinted between them and blocked the Warden’s blow in a deafening clang of steel on steel.

Lucy’s senses were heightened with the instinct for survival. The next three Wardens slid down the rock and jumped to their feet, charging Cadmus as Lucy and Luke regained their footing and each released an arrow, piercing two of the creatures at the same time. The Wardens clutched at their wounds and screamed, but continued to shuffle toward Lucy. Cadmus was occupied, barely able to fend off the other two uninjured Wardens. Lucy’s heart pounded in her ears. Her hands fumbled when she attempted to string another arrow.

Her subconscious took note of a frenzy of shouts and the thundering of hooves galloping toward her from behind, but her vision was tunneled. Her focused mind did not allow her to acknowledge anything but the imminent threat closing in atop the boulder. With a cry, she unleashed a second arrow into the Warden she had already injured, bringing it to its knees. The hooded creature screamed and dropped its sword. Lucy scrambled forward and snatched up the weapon, bringing it down upon the Warden with all her might. It stuck in the creature’s shoulder, delivering a swift death.

Lucy shuffled back to the edge of the boulder in time to see six more Wardens slide down the rock, pushing the others forward into Cadmus. Another cluster of the dark creatures hovered above them atop the cavern wall. Lucy’s body went cold. She strung another arrow, her hands shaking. Luke did the same, holding his position beside her bravely. Cadmus was a skilled swordsman and had already killed two of the attackers, but Lucy doubted whether
anyone
could hold out against a whole mob of Wardens. Petrified, she glanced around for help. With her peripheral vision, she saw a group of centaurs thundering toward them. Mack and Fritz were running to help, too.

“It’s me they want!” Lucy cried aloud, to no one in particular. She knew she had to fight with every ounce of focus and energy she possessed, so she unleashed an arrow with lethal accuracy.
I have to help Cadmus
, she thought.

Cadmus still blocked the throng of Wardens from approaching Lucy and Luke, but they were beating him back, step by step. Lucy’s heart wrenched as the seconds ticked away. He blocked blow after blow with his sword, but without his shield, he was losing energy too fast. More Wardens slid down the rock face and joined the advancing group. Cadmus was the only thing standing between the Wardens and their prize. He fell to his knees from the force of blocking a fierce double-blow from the heavy swords of two Wardens at the same time.

Time seemed to slow down as frantic thoughts raced across Lucy’s mind.
Can I do something with the map to help? We need backup, now! Cadmus can’t hold them off much longer…

Zadok’s wide, glossy brown body punched through the space between Lucy and Luke, nearly pushing Lucy off the side of the boulder. Mack and Fritz scrambled up the side of the rock to her right, and the other centaurs gathered around the boulder, raining arrows into the mob of Wardens.

But they were too late. With a cry that pierced her heart, Cadmus was struck in the side. He palmed the flat side of his sword above his head to shield himself from another forceful blow from above, his breath sharp and audible through his gritted teeth.

“Cadmus!” Lucy shrieked, gaining the strength to wrench free the sword she’d lodged in the shoulder of the dead Warden. Wielding the blade overhead, she ricocheted off Zadok’s haunch as she scrambled forward, sneakers slipping on the granite beneath her feet. With mindless abandon, she charged the horde of Wardens, chest heaving, blinded by her savage need to protect Cadmus. His blood was spattered across the boulder before her. She screamed, raising the sword high, deaf to the noises and blind to the action surrounding her. She was unable to feel the burn of the map that glowed with ferocity in her front pocket.

Lucy was two steps away from Cadmus’ side when the sensation that time was passing more slowly than usual stopped. The abrupt, perceived fast-forwarding of time was brought on by the flash of sharp steel slicing through the air to Cadmus’ left side. One of the Wardens delivered a powerful thrust of its sword, impaling the man she loved before her eyes.

Lucy heard herself scream as she clenched her fists and her legs collapsed beneath her. She watched Cadmus slump, his bloodied body collapsing against the granite in a motionless heap. A pair of strong, hairy arms encircled Lucy from behind as the sword fell from her grasp, clattering against the boulder. She was dragged back, away from the Wardens as Mack, Fritz, and Axel leapt between her and the throng, weapons carving the air with lethal dexterity. Yet she could hear nothing but her own prolonged scream—a soul-splitting cry of anguish.

“Cadmus! Cadmus! You have to let me go to him!” Tears flowed down her cheeks as she heard herself sobbing and begging her captor, writhing to escape his strong grip. She twisted, recognizing the pair of arms suspending her in the air as belonging to Zadok. He was preventing her from approaching Cadmus.

“Zadok, let me go! He’s bleeding! Zadok! You have to let me help him!” she screamed, desperate to make him understand. Though she struggled against his grip with all her might, she could feel nothing but the searing pain of her heart breaking at the sight of Cadmus splayed out on the rock between her defenders and the Wardens. His light brown hair was matted in thick locks, but his back faced her so that she could not see his face. Her heart fluttered out of control in a state of utter panic.
Is he alive?
Each ragged breath was painful, as if she were forcing a massive volume of air through compressed wind pipes.

In an instant, Mack, Axel, and Fritz were transformed to stone statues. Their bodies froze in the midst of swinging and blocking with their swords. Lucy’s world blurred as the Wardens moved around the three statues and advanced on her, unobstructed. The thud of her heartbeat in her ears drowned out all other sound. She glanced to her left. Luke, too, had become nothing but a stone effigy. Her heart broke anew and she became aware that her mouth was parched. Her fat tongue took up too much space in her mouth, and she could barely breathe. To her right, Lance, Adalia, and her troop of elves were also frozen, turned to statues in their final act of rushing to her assistance.

She was torn between fierce rage and hopeless apathy. Glancing down, she realized that the arms suspending her were still fleshy and warm. Zadok was still with her. Some part of her subconscious registered that the map was as hot as fire in her pocket.

More Wardens continued to slide down the face of the cavern wall. An imposing group of them now faced her atop the boulder. She and Zadok didn’t stand a chance against what was now a whole mob standing several paces away.

The creature closest to her began to speak in a tongue Lucy did not understand. Zadok’s grip tightened as the Wardens formed a semicircle around them. Desperate, she tried to peer between the robed creatures toward Cadmus, but he was blocked from sight. Her heart raced, fueled by a blinding fury at these creatures for cursing and killing the people she loved.

“It’s me you want! Take me, leave the centaur behind!” she screamed, writhing to free herself from Zadok’s grip, but his grip only tightened.

“Shh, Lucy,” Zadok whispered in her ear, catching her off guard. “It’s not too late. I can still fight, but I need to toss you to safety first. I’m going to throw you off the rock. When you land, get up and run as fast as you can. Find Bade and the trolls. Find anyone that’s not a Warden. And hide!”

But the Warden was speaking again, a succession of murmurs and croaks indiscernible to Lucy.

“No!” She spoke aloud. “Zadok, it’s me they want. I won’t let you fight this battle for me. I won’t run. I have to face them.” She wouldn’t leave Cadmus lying broken and bloodied upon this rock. She couldn’t. Fierce loyalty surged through her veins like a shot of pure adrenaline. She narrowed her eyes at the muttering Warden standing before her.

“What do you want from me?” she cried in angst.

The Warden paused, and then addressed her in her language. “Mapkeeper,” it began, in a low, growling voice. “You are right. It is you and you alone whom we need. You will come with us and fulfill the plans we have for you. The centaur is irrelevant. He will be turned to stone like the others.”

An icy chill ran down Lucy’s spine at the unnatural tone of the creature’s voice as it spoke in her language. A loathing stronger than any she had ever felt overcame her.

“Centaur, release the Mapkeeper,” the Warden commanded. Zadok ignored the creature, his grip remaining firm. “Do it now, or we will take her by force,” the creature snarled.

“Lucy, you have to try. We have no choice!” came Zadok’s urgent whisper in her ear.

Dry nausea clenched her throat as she realized Zadok was right. There was truly nothing else she could do but go along with his plan, as much as she wanted to fight for herself.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” she replied in a whisper. Zadok’s grip relaxed the slightest bit.

“You leave us no choice,” the Warden began.

In a single swift motion, Zadok flung Lucy off the side of the boulder, drew his sword, and charged. Lucy did not look back. She collapsed in a heap, then sprang to her feet and began to sprint. The map pulsed with heat against her leg.

She hadn’t taken three steps when she realized her movements were sluggish, her leg inching forward even as she willed it to slice through the air with her usual athletic speed. In fact, her entire body was almost immobilized, as though she were trapped inside a dense bowl of gelatin! A sickening horror came over her as the air around her became icy.
What is happening?

Then the Wardens appeared in a slow-moving procession, encircling her from both sides. She turned her head in slow motion and peered down at her arm, which slowly lifted in sync with her stride. Unable to move her body at a normal rate, she could only watch in terror as the Wardens completed their circle and she was surrounded by the enemy.

“We warned you, Mapkeeper,” the one facing her began. “Now you will come with us.” It raised its cloaked arms, revealing bony gray fingers attached to skeletal wrists. Her vision blurred as she felt her consciousness fading. The last conscious thought she had was that it felt as though she were sinking through the massive bowl of gelatin, descending ever-so-slowly into a pit of blackness.

҉

This time, she did not awaken in Abodox surrounded by friends and family. The kobolds did not rescue her from the dark magic of the Wardens. Instead, when her eyes blinked open, she found herself in a large, dim-lighted stone chamber. The large, flat stone slab she lay upon was cold, and her arms and legs were shackled and chained to its corners. She was shivering in the dark, frigid air. The flickering of occasional torches located far-off against dank, moist walls caught her eye next. Lifting her head to peer around, she sensed that she was not alone.

As if to confirm her fear, three cloaked Wardens emerged from the shadows, pacing toward her in a rhythmic cadence. They muttered in unison, droning in their throaty foreign tongue. Lucy’s mind reeled as she struggled to control her shivering. The memory of the events of the battlefield came back to her with sickening clarity.
How much time has passed? Where am I? Is Zadok…? Mack and Luke…
A dozen thoughts clamored for her attention at once.

Cadmus.
The image of his limp body splayed out on the rock sent a searing pain through her body, originating in her heart and coursing to the tips of her arms and legs. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the thought of Cadmus as she last saw him. She wouldn’t allow herself to acknowledge that he might be dead. She couldn’t. Combined with the thought of her brothers, Zadok, and all the others, it threatened to put her out of her mind with grief.

The Wardens approached, chanting. Lucy opened her eyes and tugged the chains, testing the shackles. Icy steel pressed into her wrists. She swallowed, willing herself to focus and remain calm as a lump formed in her throat. Even if she were the last one alive in Praxis, she refused to go down without a fight.
Do I still have the map?
She couldn’t lift her head high enough to peer down at her pocket, but she felt no sign of its warmth… no familiar pulse to bring her comfort. She yearned for it now more than ever. Without the map, she knew she was powerless against the Wardens’ dark magic.

The three Wardens continued to chant as they reached the stone slab. Two flanked her on her right and left sides, and the third took position beside her head. Heart pounding, she looked up into the faceless black hole of its hood. In place of the fear she had expected to feel, she was surprised to find only a fierce sense of loyalty—a potent resolve to fight these creatures with all her might to avenge her brothers, Cadmus, and all the creatures of Praxis.

“Are you going to clone me now?” she taunted the one looming over her head. “Because I don’t think that would be a very good idea. I’m allergic to needles, so I’ll die if you try to inject me,” she fibbed, imagining with a stab of pain how her brothers would have laughed at her ridiculous lie.

The Wardens ignored her, continuing to chant in unison. Through the shadows, more of them emerged, once again forming a large circle around her.

“Mapkeeper,” came a hiss from within the circle. A tall Warden stepped forward, striding toward her. “I am Doelech, the leader of the Wardens, the true heirs of Praxis. With your blood, I will gain control over the map and wipe out all other creatures. It is the dawn of a new era! An era in which Wardens will reign supreme. We will not be stopped. All that remains is to create your clone.”

At this, Lucy’s body froze in fear, but she steeled herself against the creature’s words.

“You will never control my map!” she cried out. She
had
to be strong despite the helplessness she felt. She refused to lie down and die without putting up a fight.

Doelech approached the stone table carrying a glass flask. She caught a glimpse beneath the creature’s hood as it approached, at last beholding the face of a Warden. Its eyes were yellow slits and its nose was small and pointy. It had a pinhole of a mouth with dry, cracked skin where lips should have been. Its face was flat and gray.

“You will drink this draught, and afterward your hair will be ready for harvest to grow your clone. And of course at that point, we will no longer have need for you, Mapkeeper.” The goosebumps on her arms intensified. She forced her fear back once again, steeling herself against the creatures surrounding her.
If I could get to the map…
she thought.

Doelech growled something to the Warden standing over Lucy’s head. It drew a long key out of its robe and unlatched the shackles binding her wrists. Its cold, clammy gray flesh brushed her wrist, making her skin crawl. She was hesitant, knowing that if she did something brash the two flanking her would curse her.

“Sit up,” Doelech commanded.

Lucy obeyed, casting a discreet glance down at her pocket. The familiar outline of the folded map was not there.

“Did you really think we would leave you with the map?” Doelech sneered in his deep, hollow voice. “You are a fool.” It pulled her map out of its robe, unfolding and examining the parchment. “Soon, this irreplaceable prize will be under my control, along with the rest of Praxis.”

Lucy scanned the cavern, desperate to formulate a plan. Her ankles were still shackled to the stone table.

“Now, you will drink this serum and fulfill the destiny of Praxis!” Doelech tucked the map back inside its sleeve fold and approached her, uncorking the glass vial. A bright blue liquid sloshed inside. Lucy’s stomach churned and the nausea began to rise in her throat once again. She swallowed hard. Doelech’s bony gray hand thrust the neck of the bottle against her lips.

She sealed her lips, rejecting the vial. Closing her eyes, she envisioned Cadmus, bloody and lifeless atop the boulder. She envisioned Mack and Luke, turned to stone in the act of protecting her. She fueled a ferocious fury within her heart. For Cadmus, for her brothers, and for all the creatures of Praxis who had fought valiantly to save their home, she refused to cede to the Wardens. The true love she felt for her brothers and Cadmus coupled with her agony over their loss saturated her with the most intense passion she could summon.

“
Drink
, girl!” Doelech hissed, prying at her upper lip with the edge of the glass vial.

She willed the map to come to her. She focused her passion, channeling her emotion into her desire for the map.
It’s my map
, she thought.
It belongs to me.

“What is this?” Doelech jerked the vial away from her lips. Lucy opened her eyes in time to see the map float out of his sleeve and into her outstretched hands. She reacted instantly, gripping the map with all her might and willing it to shield her. A bright white ball of light emanated from the map, encasing her in a protective bubble. She threw her head back and with one flat palm, smacked the image of the Warden lair on the map.

The cavern ruptured in a deafening, violent explosion of rock on all sides. The last thing Lucy heard was Doelech screeching in anger as he lunged for the map.