Chapter 61: Imperial Entanglements

Alcar continued to move down towards the trail, with both Brutus and Etienne now close by.

The nearer Imperial soldiers had now advanced almost to the trees, forcing Olynka and the others out onto the trail. Only his friend’s sporadic bowfire was keeping the troops from a more rapid advance. And the two uninjured trolls were heading in their direction, too.

Looking towards the trolls, Alcar now tried the second incantation that he felt at least somewhat sure of:

“Zek du manuhka.”

He focused on the bridge itself as he spoke, and just as before, a round black portal appeared in the spot where he focused. This time, though – whether due to practice, adrenalin, the razor reed powder, or just luck – the shimmering circular form was much larger. It filled the closer end of the bridge.

And the trolls were running right towards it.

As Alcar watched on, the burned troll leaped directly into the water of the river despite the fact that the magical flames were now largely dying down and disappearing from its head and body. Simultaneously, the other pair of trolls ran right into the newly appeared dark portal.

However the strange magical gateway worked and wherever it led to, it was sufficient to cause both trolls to disappear from the bridge entirely. One after the other, as if walking through the gate of a tower, both disappeared inside, and were no longer to be seen.

The first walked straight into the circle of darkness, perhaps not seeing it at all, or not reacting in time. The second one lunged sideways at the last moment as if seeing the threat and choosing to squeeze past the shimmering dark disk. But this move wasn’t enough. Like its companion before it, the creature was somehow sucked inside entirely.

Alcar looked on, feeling stunned at the apparent success of his incantation. Then he realized that Olynka and the others were approaching his side, and he whirled around, wary of the threat from behind.

Indeed, the dozen soldiers were now advancing in two groups, one around twenty yards closer than the other. Olynka was out of arrows and had drawn her machete, and Warlik was holding his sword and Leppie her warhammer.

But the companions had no choice but to retreat hurriedly.

“Do that thing again, man!” called Etienne, from Alcar’s side.

“They would just walk around it,” Alcar replied, rubbing at his temple as his head began to throb. “It only worked because it was on the bridge. And because trolls are damn stupid.”

“Something else, then. And quick!”

Alcar tried to focus. Dousing the advancing soldiers in flames also seemed futile – at most, it would take a couple of them out, and leave the others in an even more vengeful and murderous mood in response.

The lead soldier, a captain of some sort, very tall with a thin mustache, sheathed his sword as he approached, and lowered his shield, no doubt recognizing that the companions were out of arrows and running out of options.

“Surrender, traitors,” he called out. “We have reason to believe that you are wanted criminals, suspected of thieving for a horse from the Knights of Dawn. This is a crime against Emperor Arthric himself. But come now, and you will be given a fair trial.”

“At least he doesn’t know about General Tung, and about us fleeing from Katresburg,” murmured Etienne.

“My name is Captain Chizook,” continued the man in a sonorous voice, “and I am a loyal servant of the Emperor. I will escort you to Katresburg, where the interim city warleader General Tung will oversee your trial.”

“We’re fucked, then,” said Etienne.

As his friend spoke, Alcar saw that there were further brown-clad Imperial soldiers on the trail further south – at least fifty of them, approaching slowly but inexorably.

“We run, then?” he said, as Olynka and the others pulled in close beside them.

“If we do, we can’t stay ahead of them for long,” murmured Warlik.

“Where’s Ubund?” asked Leppie, glancing around with a concerned frown.

“Saving us from the trolls,” said Etienne.

Alcar looked down at Brutus. The dog had bared his teeth as it looked at the Imperial soldier, but so far was staying obediently at his master’s side.

“I hate to ask this of you, pal,” said Alcar. “But we really need a distraction right around now. “Rac al sintreta!”

As he spoke the words, Alcar saw his faithful dog began to enlarge. Like the caterpillar back at the bunkhouse, its body swelled up, its eyes grew larger, and its legs elongated. But unlike the bug that he had enchanted before, Brutus began at a much larger size. He was soon as big as donkey, and then continued to grow, until he was larger than a warhorse.

And even as he continued to grow, Brutus stood up and began to stalk towards the horrified-looking Imperial soldiers.

“Run! That way,” Alcar shouted to his friends, pointing behind him towards the bridge.

He, however, had no choice but to maintain his concentration.

And as he watched on, Brutus peaked in size at around double the size of a warg, and then charged forward. He grabbed Captain Chizook in his jaws and flung the unfortunate officer into the nearby copse of trees. The dog’s great jowls flopped around as he did so, and huge gobbets of saliva splashed over the trail by the bucketload.

Brutus then charged forward, knocking one soldier after another to the side, biting and scratching as he went.

The further group of soldiers were already fleeing southward down the trail. Brutus ran on. Each time he reached a soldier now, he grabbed them in a ferocious bite and flung them far to the side. Then, after making short work of the second band of soldiers, he paused on the trail and fixed his gaze on the elven herbalist Gonida, who was still far up the hillside, watching the proceedings.

“Stop there, Brutus!” called out Alcar sternly, and beginning to step towards the bridge. “We need to follow our friends. This way.”

And giant-Brutus obediently began to bound back towards his master.

In his mind, Alcar had a picture of him somehow riding on Brutus’s back, allies and enemy soldiers alike gazing in awe as he bounded magnificently away from the scene and towards safety.

The reality was quite different.

Brutus began to move back up the trail more slowly, still supersized, and continued to knock soldiers to one side or another like skittles. When he reached Alcar once more, he stopped, sniffed at the young sorcerer, and enormous gobbet of drool dropped from the dog’s jowls and landed upon the apprentice sorcerer. It was so large that it knocked Alcar entirely from his feet, soaking him with meaty-smelling dog saliva.

Brutus then lowered his head and picked Alcar up gently between his teeth, and began to lope back up the trail towards the north. He reached the rest of the companions just after the bridge, and together they ran on, with a flailing Alcar still safely clutched in Brutus’s jaws.

It was a sorry and bruised group of Imperial soldiers that gathered back on the trail, as Captain Chizook at last extricated himself from the copse of trees and stared after them.

“We will send word to General Tung,” he said. “The ones who have stolen from Skizol are dangerous. We should not underestimate them.”

“Yes, sir,” said the nearest Imperial soldier, and then noticed a splashing from the nearby river as he spoke. “Oh, shit, sir – another troll!”

END OF PART 3