The Tuskan Prince (The Caine Mercer Series Book 2) Read online

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE SCOURGE OF ORSON’S HOLLOW

  “Everyone get down and head for the trees!” Ivan shouted.

  Before we could move, the same titanous shadow coursed across the road and grew larger by the second, indicating that something was coming. I leapt off of Nadi and pulled Aketa from her mount, rushing her from the road and into the safety of the dense forest. There was another bellowing screech, a cloud of dust and then it appeared: a golden, winged creature that seemed to soar out of the blue sky and land in between us, Skalige and Ivan. I froze at the mere sight of such a beast. It had two black eyes, green scales scattered across its feathered face, a razor-sharp beak with stains of dried blood and a tail with jagged prongs extending from each side. The monster’s enormous wings folded behind its back and its tail lashed about as it glared at our two friends and their horses. It reminded me of one of the infamous ankas that Petri told me stories about.

  It cocked its head to the sides, gnashing its beak while Skalige calmly extracted his blade from its sheath and prepared for the oncoming battle. I could see the rippling of the great bird’s skin as it breathed heavily, leaving stains of blood wherever it stepped. It’s wounded? What would dare attack such a creature?

  Then, it lunged at the two. Sir Ivan raised his sword as it approached but with one fatal strike from its powerful wings, the beast easily knocked both of them from their mares. When the dust cleared, the anka ascended into the air with one of the horses gripped tightly in its talons. I counted the remaining stallions; fear gripped my heart when I realized which one was missing.

  “Nadi!” I cried out and sprinted across the road, almost instinctively.

  The giant bird was now heading north at a tremendous height, flapping its wings as it attempted to carry Nadi across nearly a mile of forests and hills. My breathing became rapid as I panicked, struggling to conjure a plan while my head soared with anxious thoughts. I silently prayed that it wouldn’t drop her.

  “We have to save her!” I exclaimed to Ivan, who shook his head and returned his blade to its sheath.

  “Sir, that was an anka,” he replied as he mounted his horse again, “a wounded one, at that. We’re lucky to still have our heads. I’ve seen smaller ones disembowel entire packs of grizzly bears before.”

  “Where’s it taking her?”

  “Back to its nest. I’m sorry, Caine. I can tell that you loved that mare.”

  He had no idea.

  “Is there anything we can do?” my wife asked after noticing the pain behind my eyes. I had watched Nadia grow from just a small colt into a matured, beautiful horse. She would hobble around in our stables, fighting to control her weak balance while she walked but we were always there to help her back onto her feet. I remember looking into her grateful eyes and feeling the warmth of her face as she nuzzled it against my neck. The errant still protested, saying, “It’s too dangerous. My mission wa-”

  “She’s our family!” I interrupted, sharply, “I’ll not leave her to die.”

  “My errand was to safely bring you to my king. It would be near suicide to follow an anka to its nesting grounds. We should count our losses and keep moving forward. We could send a battalion to avenge her in a few hours.”

  “There’s no time! Try and stop me but I’m going after them.” I replied, sternly, “I brought her to your country and it’s my responsibility to bring her home.”

  “You will die out there!” the errant protested.

  “She needs me right now. I sincerely apologize for anything you’ve ever thought you’ve loved.” I declared, then extended my hand to Skalige, “Give me your sword. I’ll find it alone.”

  The baron dismounted his chestnut-colored steed and replied, “Aye, you will have my sword when I’m picked apart by that overgrown pigeon. I’m coming with you.”

  We turned to Sir Ivan, who appeared at a loss for words. Apparently, having love for your horses was an anomaly in Tuskan. He nodded and sheathed his weapon to then say, “Well, I wouldn’t be welcomed back into the palace without you three, and I might have some idea of where the nest is.”

  ***

  After riding for nearly an hour across abandoned wheat fields and hilly terrain, we eventually discovered an old watchtower that sat atop a large pile of rubble. It appeared to have been decaying for years. The same screeching from before could be heard from the pinnacle of the ruins, where I spotted brief flashes of gold and green. The dilapidated tower sat precariously in the center of an overgrown field, overlooking the surrounding region like a watchful protector. I could hear the terrible bellowing of the winged monster but nothing from Nadi.

  We ducked beneath a patch of shrubbery, concealing ourselves from the anka’s view. I saw its massive shadow moving across the tower. “Just as I thought.” Ivan said to us, “We assumed it nested somewhere outside of Orson’s Hollow. See, it’s made its nest at the top, there. Smart. It can see for hundreds of miles in each direction. It might not be too late for Nadi.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Skalige asked him.

  “Ankas petrify their victims and keep them in their nests until their heartbeat slows to a whimper. That’s when they feed.”

  Nadi would feel everything but wouldn’t be able to move. My stomach churned at the thought of such a fate happening to our little mare. I understood that we didn’t have much time to strategize her rescue but we had to salvage each precious second.

  “What do we do?” I asked.

  “Perhaps we could draw the beast away...distract it long enough to lead Nadi from the tower? I could make enough noise in the woods to give you three enough time to get up there.”

  “Even if that worked, how would we carry a paralyzed horse?” Skalige inquired, reminding me of the reality of our situation.

  “She might not have had enough time to be fully incapacitated.” he answered, as if he knew everything about these beasts, “Nadi will be confused and unstable but not unconscious. We’ve found paralyzed animals before. Should this plan fail and the anka tries to attack, remember that there is a weak point in their scales...where their shoulder meets the neck.”

  We settled with this plan. Skalige, Aketa and I approached the ruins with cautious optimism while a mounted Sir Ivan parted for the forest’s edge; we abandoned their two mares before entering the dismantled tower. Aged rubble lay scattered in heaps, slowly disintegrating into white powder over the course of time. A strong wind flowed through the structure, rattling the walls and dropping clumps of dust from the ceiling.

  Beams of the afternoon light crept in from cracks and gaping fissures that lined most corners of the tower’s bottom floor. Aketa grasped my arm while we moved in silence, stepping carefully as to not alert the monster above. Meatless, dried bones could be found in mass quantities on the ground around us. Leather saddlebags and merchant goods also lay in heaps beneath them.

  Nadi’s panicking whinnies echoed down from a spiraling staircase that led to the roof, followed by a series of heavy wing flapping and thunderous cawing. The baron led us, being the only one with a weapon in our group. All of a sudden, we overheard the distant sounds of Ivan shouting at the top of his lungs. Another noise came from above, signaling that the anka must have abandoned her nest in pursuit of the errant. Once we reached the tower’s overlook, I laid my eyes upon a haunting sight to behold.

  Carcasses of half-eaten cows and pigs lay strewn about in every direction. The bloated, still body of a young boy lay pinned beneath a headless donkey and a small woman’s corpse rested against a pile of rubble with her throat gouged open. Pools of dried blood covered the entirety of the anka’s nest. White skeletons, entirely cleaned of their flesh, were covered by red ants and buried beneath heaps of timber. Aketa gagged once the putrefying smell overcame us.

  “Must’ve been taking villagers for some time.” Skalige noted while examining the decomposing woman. Crows had plucked out her eyeballs, leaving a hollowed skull for the maggots and ground worms to burrow inside.r />
  Only one creature held a breath on this tower and she lay in the furthest corner, among farm animals and lifeless fauns - our precious Nadi. I knelt down beside her, running my palm across her black, quivering jaw to try and awaken her. I noticed a shallow gash in her right shoulder that seeped with white pus. Instantaneously, she jolted from her rest and moved to stand. Her muscles trembled and she stumbled at first, yet she eventually managed to rise.

  Strong girl. There you go.

  “We have to hurry.” Skalige warned as he helped to lift the struggling mare, “Ivan’s bought us just enough time. It could return any minute. Can the horse stand?”

  The three of us assisted the limping horse down the flight of stairs and into the tower’s base, where we began to hear the anka calling from afar. Bones crunched beneath the horse’s hooves as she walked. Nadi stumbled and swayed while the poison continued its slow effects on her bodily functions. She involuntarily released her bowels while she staggered alongside us.

  “Lovely.” the frustrated baron muttered as he walked in the rear.

  The cries of the beast could be heard clearly now as she approached the tower, clouding dust and wind that we felt on the bottom floor. We halted and waited for the monster to realize that her latest meal had just been stolen. I prayed that Nadi wouldn’t stir in her state of deliriousness but luckily, she remained calm. The four of us stood motionless as the anka landed upon the watchtower above us. We could hear the powerful flapping of wings and the grating of sharp talons against stone.

  Skalige and I braced against the horse as it toppled from side to side, fighting to control her balance. If she decided to collapse, we would have an entirely different ordeal altogether. The giant bird scoured through the carcasses in her nest, bellowing short bursts of disdain until she eventually uncovered the truth. A loud screech echoed from above, nearly knocking us to the ground from the immense pain to our ears. Nadi responded, almost immediately and the anka quickly descended from her perch.

  We strained to regain our hearing again, opening our eyes to see the winged monster perched in the grass just outside of the tower’s door. She locked her lidless eyes with the teetering horse that stood between me and the baron. Aketa appeared to be the most frightened, still clutching Nadi’s black mane in her left hand. I pointed out the weak spot, where the anka’s scales seemed to dissipate, revealing a tender spot with only sparse, golden feathers.

  Fortunately, the doorway between us and certain death was just large enough for humans and a horse to move through. I began to think about Sir Ivan’s fate in the forests and if he had given his life to save ours. The evening sun rested just above the distant mountains, casting an orange hue upon the watchtower and the rolling fields beyond our reach. Where do we go?

  The monster sat on her haunches, snapping her blood-stained beak and stretching out her wings. Evil, almost reptilian eyes glared back at us from the open doorway. One talon scraped along the tower’s outer surface, as if the beast were testing it. She flattened herself to the ground, hissing and shrieking in a terrifying way. I thanked the Gods that ankas could not spit flames or acid.

  The feathers on the bird’s neck began to ruffle as she prepared for another deafening screech, suddenly becoming interrupted as a wooden spear struck her neck. From behind, a group of armored men appeared with crossbows, arbalests and spears. They shot flurries of arrows at the tower, prompting the three of us to duck away and find cover. I hauled Aketa and Nadi from the doorway, concealing us in safety while a violent battle raged outside.

  Twelve or thirteen men waged a bloody bout against the anka, clashing swords against her sharp talons and driving pikes into her feathered body. The giant bird’s tail lashed around and swatted four of our rescuers, crushing one of their skulls and impaling another. With a body stuck to her tail, the great bird’s attacks became drastically slower. It wasn’t until a taller man with long blonde hair was able to mount the anka’s back that the battle’s tides began to shift in their favor. He ferociously sawed into her left wing, trying to dismember it.

  Once the monster lost her ability to fly, she still attempted to flee but failed to maintain balance, eventually collapsing onto the grass. The remaining eight finished the job and removed her thrashing head before she could inflict further harm. We emerged from the watchtower with Nadi, who still appeared to be feeling the effects of the anka’s toxins. Our rescuers had not even noticed that we were hiding inside.

  “Glad to see you’ve joined the fight.” one of them announced to greet us.

  “Thank you.” Aketa replied, trying not to look as they lifted the bloody head to examine. The man with the blonde hair approached us. The sigil on their chest plates resembled the Badlands’ crest, except with the painting of some monster’s head and two pikes intersecting. Each of the men carried assortments of blades attached to their hips and crossbows over their shoulders. Two dwarves were also comrades of the troupes, wielding halberds and arbalests.

  “How’d you know where we were?” I asked.

  “We didn’t. Had no fuckin’ clue you three were hiding out in there. Orson hired us to kill the anka and, lucky for you, looks like we found her right on time. Your welcome.” he answered with a boastful smirk, “Took a few shots at her a few miles south of here but she broke away. Knew she’d come back to her nest. They always do.”

  “You hunt monsters?” Skalige asked.

  “Not exactly.” he answered, “We just go where the coin is and do what’s required. Could be monsters, could be a band of deserters held up in some castle. We’ve dealt with Two-Headed-Terrakas, minotaurs in Zuma, sirens, black angels but this...this is our first anka contract.”

  “There’s a first time for everything, it seems.” I replied.

  “She’s a beauty, ain’t she?” he said, plucking three golden feathers from her wing, “Each feather fetches us forty coppers in Fortaare’s market. Thirty crowns in Ataman City. Thanks to her, we’ll be eating prime steak and sleeping in castles for months!”

  “Who posted the contract?” Aketa asked as the man began graciously patting the anka’s bloodied head.

  “Some old cooke in Dadelburg. Says the anka’s been stealing his cows. If a farmer offers that much for a monster’s head, we know he’s desperate.” the man answered before he leaned down to reach into the creature’s beak, “I’m planning on selling her tongue for fifty marks in Rotera. There’s an alchemist there who wants it for some kind of youth-preservation elixir or something. I don’t give two shits what they do with the goods, as long as they pay. Ah, perfect. I was worried she might’ve chewed it off in the tousle.”

  Skalige grinned and nudged me, saying, “Should’ve hired ‘em when we needed ‘em, eh? Not too many monster hunters left in the world.”

  “You two tangled with monsters?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

  “A higher vampire and a werewolf.” Aketa answered for me.

  “Oh, no, we don’t mess with vampires...not after what happened in Veines…” the hunter replied with a grimace, “We’ve encountered lycanthrops before in Moskaul. Bloody good fighters, but their human side always has some leverage. For werewolves, it’s usually some doe-eyed maiden or a child who doesn’t know their parent’s secret. As for wights, they’re typically depressed and ready to fall face-first on our blades by the time we find them. Who would want to live in the skin of a wight, anyway? Especially one in Moskaul.”

  “Bullshit.” the baron snapped, shaking his head, “No man has ever stepped foot in Moskaul and survived.”

  “Believe what you want, sir, but we’ve seen some shit most men couldn’t even dream up. In those dark woods, there’s creatures so vile and disgusting you’d vomit at first sight. Think wendigos are nasty? Try fighting a wight whose sole purpose in life is to butcher children and run around village streets naked, covered in their blood. Contracts to enter Moskaul cost a pretty penny, and by penny, I mean a treasure chest filled to the brim with gold. I won’t risk my men’s lives for
anything less.” he said. I looked past him to the troupe as they gathered around their five fallen companions.

  “Should you ever need us, send word for Black’s Dozen. I’m Jebediah Black and this is my dozen. Now, why are you here? I see three pairs of hands but only one sword, so you couldn’t be hunting the anka as well.” he continued to say, putting his hands on his hips.

  “Long story. I won’t bore you with those details but congratulations on your bounty. Also, might want to consider changing your name, given the circumstance.” I said, bidding farewell to Jeb and his seven men before leading my company towards the forest that we first came from. We could still hear the cutting and the dismembering of the great bird, even from across the field. The dwarves howled with laughter as they began plucking feathers and stuffing them into an open sack. An exhausted Ivan greeted us at the woodland’s boundaries, appearing unscathed.

  “Not as spry as I once was.” he said, panting heavily.

  Skalige patted him on his armor-plated shoulder and we thanked him for his brave endeavors. In that moment, I realized how fortunate we were to be in the company of such courageous men. Hopefully, Nadi could make it until the palace in her weakened condition. I elected to walk alongside her to keep her from toppling over. She couldn’t speak, but her eyes told me everything.

  “We came back for you, sweet girl.” I whispered into her flickering ear as I rubbed her mane. She neighed, almost as if she were telling me something.

  ***

  Dusk began to set when we laid our weary eyes upon the Lockmour’s castle: two towers

  interlocking a multitude of connecting chambers and buildings that filled the entirety of the palace. Archers marched along the outer wall, scanning their sharp eyes across the world below. The fortress itself rested upon a hill, surrounded by a deep moat that appeared to be without a bottom. The immaculate structure overlooked the province from its enormous height, appearing to have been constructed within the hill itself. The last few rays of sunlight cast a haze upon the road behind us.