Hopper gently separated himself from the slumbering sorceress he had held throughout the night. Smiling down at her, he rose and grimaced as his long spine snapped and crackled. Glancing around for Nicole and Jack, Hopper found a pile of large red and purple berries on their food satchel near the cold embers of their fire. Snatching a handful, he kissed Sarah gently on the forehead, his deep voice whispered in her ear. “There’s mischief afoot, Sorceress. I do believe a band of crazed fairies set upon us whilst we slept.”
Her eyes popped open, startled by his words and the deep tone of his voice. “Fairies?” She gasped, sitting up, confused.
“Fruit fairies to be exact,” Hopper chuckled.
“What are you talking about?”
“Nicole and Jack gathered some berries for us.” His large crooked smile met her eyes. He opened her hand and filled it with smooth round berries, popping several in his mouth. “They’re sweet and juicy.”
Following his lead, she tried the colorful fruit, surprised at her appetite. “Where are our two protectors?” she asked, reaching out to stretch her tired muscles.
He shrugged his shoulders and added, “Beats me. They’ll turn up. Let’s find some place to wash up.”
“Good idea and the horses could use some water,” Sarah said as she took another handful of the berries and headed for their mounts.
Hopper led the horse into the trees following Sarah. They found Jack lying next to a hollow log, half dressed and sound asleep. Todd cleared his throat loudly and nudged Jack in the side with his foot.
“I was wrong about the fairies, Sarah. It looks like our benefactors were more of the nymph variety,” Hopper chuckled.
Startled by their presence, Jack sat up quickly and glanced around for Nicole. Finding no sign of her, he stared up at his smiling companions. “I was... uh... the fire was too hot.”
“Oh yeah, that’s a common phenomenon in the forest at night,” Hopper said, smirking at Sarah.
Taking the horses, downstream Hopper released them and waded into the rushing water to splash his face. Sarah sat on the edge of the brook, next to Jack and scooped up a handful to do the same.
“Whoa!” She gasped, releasing the icy water. Shaking the residue from her hands, she dabbed lightly at her face with what little moisture remained. A shrill whistle came from behind them. Nicole’s speckled stallion turned and trotted up the slope followed closely by the other horses.
“Jane of the jungle, no doubt,” Jack muttered, pulling on his boots.
The trio arrived at the campsite to find Nicole stuffing their food satchel with a variety of roots and nuts. She motioned for them to hurry, then threw one blanket after another onto the horse’s backs. Tossing Hopper his club as he neared, Nicole nodded toward the east. “The Warriors are moving in this direction. We’re about an hour ahead of them and need to get going.”
Hopper saddled the horses as the others gathered up their belongings and scattered the remains of the fire. Sarah pulled her book of incantations out of her saddlebag and tied it to her saddle horn. Within minutes, the small group was heading deeper into the mountains. They moved up toward the crest of the nearest rise hoping to find a trail that would take them across the ridge and into the valley beyond.
By midday, they were heading down into the valley below with no sign of pursuit. The bright sun that warmed them despite the cold mountain air disappeared suddenly into thick gray clouds. A dense layer of fog crept across the forest floor and down into the glen below. The dim light and thick fog increased the difficulty of locating the fortress. There were no roads or even a small dirt path to assist them, only an unnatural silence. Not a sound came from the forest around them. No animal calls or bird song, not even the flutter of wings, or the buzz of insects.
Descending into the dark glen, the wind vanished. The ominous silence that followed caused the adventurers to slow their pace. The soft, moist ground and the dark spreading mist swallowed the dull thud of their horses’ footsteps. The beautiful silver trees were gnarled and twisted, their gleam tarnished and gray. The underbrush became thick and unyielding. The adventurers had to retrace their steps several times in the growing bleakness. Their moods darkened with the sky. No one spoke. Hopper urged his horse closer to Sarah’s as they reached the base of the forest valley.
“Look there.” Sarah pointed to a tiny shack that had fallen into decay. “Could that be it?”
Moving toward it, they dismounted a few yards away and stopped to stare at the decrepit ruin. It was little more than a storage shed with only one door, no windows, and roof of rotten wooden slats.
Jack shook his head, “This can’t be it. Dr. Strong described it as a stronghold.”
“And it stinks!” Hopper added, wrinkling his nose at the overwhelming stench that flowed from the shack and snaked up their nostrils.
“This is it,” Nicole said, moving forward. “I can feel the magic.”
“All I feel is nausea,” Hopper grumbled, backing away. “It smells like something died in there.”
“Something probably did,” Sarah added, quietly. “But I felt something too. A glimmer of warmth, similar to when I cast those first spells.”
“We’ll never know unless we take a look inside,” Nicole said. She reached for the broken door that hung precariously from a rusty hinge.
Jack stepped in front of her, “I should go first.”
“All right, Barbarian.” Nicole was impressed with his gallantry and stepped aside.
Staring into her eyes, Jack was startled to find they were glowing. “Are you alright?” he asked, reaching for her.
“Fine,” she answered, brushing his hand aside.
The instant she touched him, the previous night came rushing into his mind. The scent of her, the softness of her skin. The memory of making love by the edge of the brook sent him staggering backward as he fought to maintain control. Her touch had lasted, but an instant and Nicole gave no indication, no acknowledgment of the encounter.
Nicole stared at him, waiting. Forcing himself to concentrate on the task, Jack pushed the thoughts from his head, yanked open the half hinged door and stepped inside. Darkness and the vile stench of death greeted him. Jack turned with a devilish smile of anticipated adventure, and motioned for the others to follow. Nicole pulled her short sword free and entered. Sarah opened her book of magic, grabbed Hopper by the front of his fur vest, and pulled him in behind her.
“There’s nothing in here,” Hopper snarled in the darkness.
“How can you tell?” Jack asked. He was unable to see any of them, or anything else, once they cleared the outline of the door.
“I’m a troll? I can see in the dark,” Hopper snarled again. He snatched a torch from the debris of what appeared to be a rotted table and chairs scattered throughout the small shack. “Sarah, I’m holding a torch in front of me, can you light it?”
Turning toward the sound of his voice, she began to chant the spell Nicole had taught her back at the lake. The torch flared and glowed with a bright purple light, as did two others on the far wall. The two small tar soaked torches stood on either side of a small doorway that was not quite tall enough for Nicole to pass through without ducking.
Pulling on the door, Nicole shook her head and glanced around the room. “It’s locked, and there’s no keyhole.”
Each, in turn, looked to Sarah to provide the answer. She shrugged coming toward them. “Why don’t you try knocking?”
Nicole ignored her and dug through the debris around them, pieces of furniture went flying, when Hopper joined in. “There must be a locking mechanism in here somewhere; we just have to find it.”
They searched the shack to no avail. The tiny area consisted of four walls of cracked and rotting wood planks and a dirt floor that gave no indication of a secret door or the source of the incredible stench.
“This is crazy!” Jack grumbled, heading for the door. “We’re in the wrong place. There’s nothing here!”
/> “No!” Nicole insisted. “This is the place.” She turned to Hopper, “You are the key, Hopper. Use it.”
Staring down at her, Hopper shook his head confused. Then in one swift movement, he smiled and charged at the door, throwing his full weight against it. Hopper sailed through the door, surprised by the frailty of the rotting wood. He rolled down a flight of winding steps to land on the stone floor at the bottom.
“Todd?” Sarah started forward, “Are you alright?”
“This is it!” He called up brushing the dirt and grime from his hairy limbs “It has to be, there’s a long hallway down here. It looks like it goes on forever.”