A Ride Through Hell and Back Lazette Gifford Copyright 2011 Lazette Gifford An ACOA Publication Smashwords Edition Smashwords Edition, License Notes Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support. The night brightened as lightning forked across the sky. I flinched, but at least, in the sudden flash of light, I could see the stranger moving ahead of us on the narrow trail. I had feared we'd lost him in the worsening weather. We'd been lucky he came along when the carriage floundered on the road. He showed us the path to higher ground, but even this narrow, hard-packed trail had turned to a mucky morass in the downpour. The road below had likely flooded by now. My horse protested again and came to a sudden stop. I'd been leading the animal on foot for the last quarter mile, arguing with the animal the entire way. I yanked on the reins, even though I knew it wouldn't help. "Let him go, Lauren," Janus said, slapping the beast on the haunch and nearly winning a hoof on his foot. "That damn horse is going to get us all killed!" "You're free to go on without me." I pulled the horse aside so the other two could pass. We'd met a few hours before when we boarded the carriage and I didn't trust them much, even though I didn't actually want to be left behind, either. "I'm not leaving the horse. Once this storm passes, I have no intention of walking to the next town. We're in the middle of nowhere." "Huh." The trust was that I didn't dare get caught without transportation -- caught being the important word. I am a professional thief, though I hadn't told my traveling companions about my occupation. They were both larger than me and even the surly carriage driver appeared inclined to mayhem at the slightest provocation. A bag full of jewels, to which I could claim dubious ownership, might be provocation enough. When the stranger came and helped extricate us from the mud, I had untied my horse from the carriage and brought him along while the driver turned the other two beasts free. Now the recalcitrant animal disagreed with me again, head shaking as he tried to back away. I pulled at the reins, wishing I knew his name. I had -- well -- acquired him rather quickly this last dawn, right after I finished work in Acklin. I'd ridden all night to Bowith and caught the carriage post there, where people had thought I'd spent the night in a room at the Inn. I wasn't getting far and if things didn't change, I might be forced to use my less reliable magical skills to get out of this mess. The only good thing about the weather was how the downpour would slow anyone coming after me as well. I just needed to stay ahead of the pursuit. The farmer reached the top of the hill and stopped. I could see him outlined by frantic lightning rushing across the sky at quick intervals. I decided being at the top of the hill might not be wise, but the others trudged up the hillside. The farmer had said there was shelter nearby, which probably meant the other side of the rise. I didn't want to be out here alone where robbers preyed on single travelers. "Come along, you obstinate beast, or I'll leave you here to drown. I only need the blanket, you know." The horse bared teeth at me: Just my luck to find such a bad tempered animal in a city full of fine steeds. I'd had enough of the creature. A glance showed the others nearly to the top of the hill where the stranger waited. I cursed and grabbed at the saddle, intending to loosen the cinch and pull the blanket free along with the small, leather bag of jewels I'd tied into the cloth. They might think I only wanted to make certain I had something for warmth when we reached wherever the farmer led us. Besides, unsaddling the horse was a kindness I would do even for this brute. I wouldn't turn the horse loose weighed down with something he might on a branch and never get free. I had my fingers on the cinch when the animal neighed and took a step backward, pulling me down in the mud. Cursing under my breath, I glanced back to see if my companions saw this new embarrassment. They still scrambled up the hillside where -- Where something other than a man now stood. I thought what I saw an illusion in the first flash of lighting. I sat unmoving in the mud and stared, making myself not blink. The next flash of light confirmed the last. What stood upon that hilltop had a huge, horned head and massive arms. The next flash made the image twice as horrific, mostly because a second joined the first horrific figure. Then a third. I saw the glint of metal in their hands, and suspected they didn't hold nice farmer's hoes, either. "Good horse," I whispered, taking hold of the stirrup and preparing to stand. "Damn good horse. You're right. We do not want to go up there." I pulled myself up from the mud and muck and cautiously made certain I hadn't loosened the cinch after all. Those were Devildins, though I had thought no tribe existed in the kingdom. The sight of the creatures set my hands shaking and I had to fight away old memories.. By the time I got to the saddle, the first of my companions had almost reached the crest of the hill. Though no friends of mine, I couldn't just ride off "Devildins!" I shouted, despite my better judgment against drawing attention. "On the hilltop!" I spun the horse and raced for my life back down toward the flooded road. Better to drown rather than to fall to these monsters. Someone screamed, spooking the horse and me. The mount nearly lost his footing on the slick, muddy trail and I had to grab tighter hold of the pommel. Another scream, but soon the sound of the storm covered whatever happened behind us. I fought the urge to look back. I didn't want to know or to see a scene replayed from my own childhood. I had nightmares enough. I realized more Devildins stood on the trail between me and the flooded lowlands. They obviously intended to make certain no one got away. The storm had covered all sound of them. The horse reacted far more quickly than I could have when the first raced forward. With a scream of terror and anger, he rose up, battering the Devildin with his hooves, while I held on. The animal went down with a grunt and the horse trampled the creature as we headed off the trail. I wasn't as keen on that part since I couldn't see much around us. Horses didn't have exactly the best night sight, either. Soon we passed through a small stand of trees, branches trying to knock me from the saddle. I flattened myself to the horse's rain-slick neck, the hard pommel pressing against my shoulder as I held on. The enemy came after us with their wild, inhuman screams, getting too close, even with the horse rushing pell-mell through the trackless hillside. A Devildin raced forward and caught my leg, nearly dragging me from the saddle. I kicked it in the face and nearly got free before claws dug into my leg. I screamed as much in panic as pain. The horse, wise creature, took the sound as a sign that I really wanted to go quickly and he found the swiftest way down the hill. He leapt straight over a cliff. For a moment we flew. The Devildin screamed and let go of my leg, and I heard it hit with a dull thump against the stony outcrop. The horse hit the ground and went down on its forelegs with a gasp. We slid in the mud. I don't know how I held on until the horse rose and stood motionless in the rain. Lightning flashed all around us. I shivered from both cold and pain as I twisted to see behind me. And wished I hadn't. I could see, in the intermittent flashes of bright light, the Devildins lined atop of the cliff, with even more coming down the hillside at us. "Run, friend," I whispered to the horse, wrapping the reigns tight around my hand and leaning forward. My leg, at least, didn't seem to bleed much. The boot had stopped the creature from digging the claws in too deeply. "If you have anything left in you, run for your life." He tried, but he'd injured his right rear leg when we landed. He took several limping steps forward, shuddered to a stop and nearly went down. I had no choice but to do something daring. I'm not a strong mage and I never had the patience to sit and learn enough to make a living at the art. Thieving seemed like a faster way to riches and with far less work. However, in my chosen profession I found knowing a few spells helpful, like how to create a sudden fire to distract people following you or how to call up a breeze to cover a trail. One of the more unusual spells I'd collected transferred the mage's physical condition to another. I had tested the spell with dogs. I tired myself out in a long run, found a friendly dog and made a swap of energies. The magic had made the dog very tired and me a little giddy. The spells work better with humans, but dogs were less likely to call the guard on me. I learned another side of the spell by accident. The dog developed a limp from a bad fall I'd taken a few days before, but I was fine. I could use the spell, though in a slightly different way. I leaned over the neck of the horse and whispered the spell, pulling power from within me as I opened a conduit and gave the horse what I could, while I took on his injuries. I felt agony hit my legs and lungs. And we began moving again. I don't know how I stayed in the saddle, except my fear of falling to the Devildins overcame the agony. Childhood nightmares returned, and not the baseless fears of a boy told ghost stories. These nightmares belonged to someone who had been the only person to survive a raid on his village. I remembered, far too well, the sight of Devildins eating arms and legs, sometimes from the still living humans. I remembered how some people escaped by setting fire to their homes and dying there. The creatures hated fire and wouldn't try to get those people out of the burning buildings. I couldn't say they had a better death. The world had seemed cold as I hid in the shadows, protected (someone told me later) by my nascent magical ability. The king and army drove the Devildins from the land in the years after those raids. Apparently they had come back and I could feel new nightmares seeping into my dreams. The horse slogged through mud, slowed finally. I could hear nothing behind us and I took the moment to think as clearly. I needed to find the soldiers I knew were on patrol (I had timed the robbery to when they and the Governor General went out training in the woods, after all) and report the danger. The night changed to day. The horse started up another slope and I nearly couldn't hold on this time. Up and up and then down and -- "Halt!" Soldiers. A camp. "Praise the gods," I whispered, my voice dry and barely heard. I saw three men coming towards me, all looking distrustful. "Thank the Gods I found you. Devildins. Hundreds. Back along the trail. Twenty miles from the city, in the hills." I leaned forward, the world going black as I began to fall. "You're the thief we're hunting for," someone said. "Yes." I managed to hold on a moment longer. "I came back to warn you. Devildins!" Blackness. I felt nothing as they took me from the horse. Someone made me wake up. I didn't want to so I fought the magic pulling me from emptiness back to the world. "Yes sir, enough power and ability to make things difficult." "Get him awake." Someone slapped my face and it angered me. My eyes snapped open and I caught the hand before the person hit again. "Don't," I said, my voice rough and my throat sore. "He's awake, sir." A man in a gray army uniform leaned over me. He didn't appear happy and I had the feeling the annoyance came from more than being soaked by the rain. "You're the thief who stole --" "Yes, yes," I said. "The jewels, I know. Did you find them on the horse?" He nodded, pensive. "Good. There's not time. Devildins --" "So you said." The man didn't believe me. I panicked. I thought about those creatures moving in on us, with me helpless among people who hadn't prepared to fight. I tried to sit up. The man -- a captain, from the insignia -- pushed me back down. We were in some tent, and a few other guards stood nearby. Someone, who might have been of higher rank, watched from the shadows to the right. This wasn't the time to rant and act like a fool. Besides I had neither the energy nor the resilience to shove back. Someone had bandaged my wounds and splinted my leg, which I thought a kindness, all things considered. I ached, but my mind remained clear. "There is a very large band of Devildins not far to the south," I said, as calmly as I could manage while my heart pounded and I wanted to run. "Several hundred at the least. I was traveling with the carriage to Adryas when the storm hit and a friendly farmer came to offer us sanctuary. I took the horse when we abandoned the carriage." "Why?" "Because I had hidden the jewels on the horse, and I wasn't about to abandon both to the flood. However, the horse proved recalcitrant. He must have sensed something we couldn't see and he saved my life. When I realized the farmer was not human, I shouted a warning and rode and barely escaped. Is the horse all right?" "Resting better than you," the captain said. He frowned. "You escaped and came back this way. Why?" "Because there are Devildins in the hills. Because my entire village was massacred when I was seven." I came close to babbling, so I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to get control. "Tell me why else I would come back," I said, looking back at the Captain. "Our guess is you got lost in the storm, stumbled back our way, and are telling us this tale to get us panicked and save your life until you might escape again." "I made certain I knew where the troops were before I grabbed the jewels. I knew most were out on patrol." "Which still doesn't mean you didn't get lost." "North is in that direction," I said, pointing at a wall of the tent. Rain and wind plastered against the waterproof cloth but did nothing to keep out the cold. "East, West, South. The city is there, and the Devildins are there." I lowered my trembling arm. "I have never been lost in my entire life, even on the darkest night or in the strongest storm." Silence. And then a soft voice spoke from the shadows. "Damn. I think he's telling the truth." The others nodded all around and I could almost feel the worry and panic increase with each breath. "You're going to need mages," I warned. I tried to sit up, but fell back with a gasp of pain. "You're going to need as many mages as you can get. Magic alone stopped the creatures the last time." "Hell." The man in the shadows came forward finally; a tall, lank, a thin goatee and dark eyes. Higher rank, yes: I recognized the Governor General of the province. After all, I'd watched his palace for some time before I stole the jewels from the hidden safety box. "I could have you hung, you know." "Yes," I said. "Why did you come back, knowing what would happen to you?" "I was the single survivor from my village. I saw what they did." I stopped and closed my eyes, but I couldn't banish the memory this time. "I couldn't let it happen again. I couldn't. . . ." "Shock sir. The wounds are serious." A damp cloth brushed against my face with a welcome feel; distracting and cool. "Fever as well. We pulled him up too quickly the last time." "There's no choice," Governor General Weblin said. "We don't dare stay here, not with what the scouts reported." "You found them," I said, forcing my eyes open. A medic stood close by in a blue tunic denoting his status, and a few soldiers had gathered in the tent. Everyone looked worried. "We did," Weblin agreed, coming to the cot. "And they found us. They'll be on us soon if we don't move quickly." Panic drove me up to my feet. Two soldiers grabbed me so I didn't fall and do myself more injury. "You shouldn't ride with those injuries," Weblin said.. "Then kill me now." The steadiness in my voice surprised the man. "Don't take the chance that I might fall to them alive." "I can't decide if you're a fool, a madman or a saint." "No saint," I said. "I stole your jewels." "True. You look stronger. We'll get you on a horse." "Sir," the medic began. He stopped. "He had better ride with me. I might be able to keep him in the saddle." The Governor General nodded and left the tent without another comment. The soldiers let me sit back down and followed the Governor General out the tent opening. The rain fell harder outside, a wall of gray that muted the world beyond. "You don't know how lucky you are he didn't just kill you," the medic said. "Never tempt a man with a line like that." "I wasn't tempting Weblin. I don't want to be left behind alive." I met the man's eyes. "I saw Devildins tear the leg from my younger sister while she screamed. I saw --" "Calm," the medic said and swallowed. "Calm." "Don't let me fall to them." "I won't." We both understood what it meant. They drugged me, which was the only way I could even sit in the saddle, let alone ride madcap toward the city. The medic held me tight and cursed as we rode, far and far. Surely we couldn't be that far from the city. "The plan is working sir," someone said nearby, the voice echoing oddly in my ears. I opened my eyes a slit to a world moving in ways which had nothing to do with the horse I rode. Damned drugs. "They're still following us," someone else said. "I thought they would. They don't want us to circle around and get behind them. Any sign of the mages?" "No sign at all, sir." "Damn." I lifted my head. We rode in a dark forest, but the shadows seemed to have odd dark colors and swirled. I didn't want to be here where anything might rush out and grab us. "We can't fight," I began, but even the words seemed painful. "Not here." "We know, boy, we know. You don't have to out think the army." I glanced at the Governor General, who was, in truth, a military officer of no little ability. "My -- par-don. I -- the shadows move." "Drugs, sir," the medic said. "Is he holding up?" "He's alive. He won't last through another ride like that one, though. I wish the mages would arrive." I frowned, disliking the way they talked about me. The medic pulled my head back and forced me to drink something bitter. Drugs, but I felt grateful because if the Devildins caught us, I might be too far gone to care. I just wished the shadows wouldn't move and change colors. I wondered if the mages had been cut off in their attempt to leave the city or if they decided to make their stand there, and abandoned us. "They're trying to circle, sir," someone said. "Tthey're in the forest, between us and the river." "Damned shame we can't force the bastards over the cliff," the Governor General snarled, sounding annoyed and tired. "But I know charging wouldn't work." "Fire," I said, lifting my head. Things didn't move so badly now. Nearly sunset: We'd ridden a long time and they'd likely run out of drugs. Faces turned to me. I blinked and forced my thoughts to become coherent because I didn't want to die. "They hate fire, remember. Probably why we have had the storms. Not just cover their movement, but also to make certain no one can set fire to things." "Ah. Good point. But we can't set fire to the woods. Not because I wouldn't burn down the entire forest, but we just can't. Everything is soaked from this storm, and we'd never get enough fire going to truly trap them." "Magic," I said. "Only magic could keep the fire goring." "The mages haven't arrived." "Me. I know enough to do this." And we had the tools I would need, too. I had intended to sell those lovely jewels to some less-than-scrupulous mage who would know how to use their power and didn't care where they came from. A hand tightened on my arm, warmth through the cold cloth. "I don't think you have the strength to do anything with magic," the medic said. "I can borrow the strength," I answered as I sat straighter, watching the slightly blurry figure of Weblin riding nearby. "I can do this, but I need the jewels." The man rode closer and stared into my face. "I'm still considering hanging you." "Which means you're considering not hanging me. That's better than I expected." "How do you borrow the strength? What do you need?" "Horses. A couple of the less tired horses. I don't want to kill them." He nodded. We stopped and prepared to make our stand. I'd never performed magic with an audience watching. They stood close by, remaining silent as I laid a hand on one horse and whispered words. I drew a little power from the creature, but I didn't allow the transference include my wounds to the animal. I could bare the pain, and I didn't want to leave the horse unable to run if need be. We had no extra mounts and I wouldn't risk anyone falling to the enemy. I didn't take strength from another human, either, because I didn't want anyone too weak to escape. I gathered a little more strength from the second horse. The feel of horse energy made me queasy, dancing through my body, making my arm twitch for a moment until I got control. "I'm ready," I said. The governor general held the bag of jewels in his hand and frowned. "You needn't worry. I can't run." "We could be riding, though," he said, looking around at troops who remained mounted and uneasy. I could see none of their faces clearly in the pouring rain. I didn't mind. "You can go. You can ride and leave me to do the work. I might fail, after all." He glanced at me and frowned for a moment, and then turned away. "Captain, send all but a dozen volunteers to head for the city. We'll try to hold the Devildins here, whether he can make the fire work or not. And someone find out where the damned mages are!" Weblin placed the small leather bag in my hand and nodded. I sat on the ground, both of my legs in agony, but after a couple breaths I could think clearly. The rain fell around me, the ground muddy beneath my hands, which I found distracting and annoying. I used a quick spell to bake the near-by surface into something hard and mostly flat. Even the little bit of magic left me breathless. "I need a knife," I said as the medic knelt behind me with a steadying hand on my shoulder. It helped. "And someone to draw out a crude map of the area around us." I used the knife to draw enchanted designs in the hard dirt as someone else sketched a rough map before me. When I put the knife down someone reached for the blade, but I stopped him. "No. I want it, in case this doesn't work." No one argued. Borrowed strength wouldn't last long, so I quickly opened the small, leather bag of jewels and considered the pattern I had made and what I would need. I would hate to see them scattered in the dirt, but they gave me hope of survival. I poured the gems into my palm and touched the first jewel, a bright red ruby I had chosen as my favorite the moment I picked the lovely gem up. I concentrated on the fire within the stone; the fire from which the world had been made and to which all creation would return. Primeval power, the strongest kind of magic. The jewel glowed, fitfully at first, and then with an intensity that brightened the area around us. I looked up to see startled faces. I placed the jewel in the pattern and traced a line from it to a spot on the map, drawing power along the path in the real world. I closed my eyes and could almost see the fire ignite. Good. The next one, a garnet, proved a little harder to work with, but the three diamonds proved easier to work with. I glanced at the map, with the river behind us, the forest on two sides and the city too far away. I would only need four more jewels. Good. I didn't have the strength to put power into many more. "There's fire, sir," someone whispered. "Quiet." Two jewels left, another ruby and a topaz. If I didn't get the spell set quickly, the Devildins would be able to escape the trap through the opening, which would bring them in our direction. I didn't want to be here for a pitched battle. I put all the power I could into those last two jewels until they sparkled in my hand. I placed the stones in the map, drew the lines and whispered a final spell, giving extra power to the fires. And then things went black again. "The fire is still spreading, sir," the Captain said. "We're holding the damned Devildins back at the breaks in the line but it's getting dangerous. The fire is wild, and the winds are uncertain. We've had as many injuries from fire as from the battle." "But we are holding them back?" Governor General Weblin asked, though he didn't sound hopeful. "Yes, sir. And we've driven a few over the cliffs in places. But there are hundreds, sir, and they're desperate. I would suggest you and your group move from this area. We think they've sensed the magic and are trying to get to our friend here." I panicked, of course, but the medic held me down. there in the half dry mud I had created. "Any sign at all of the mages?" Weblin asked. "No, sir." "Damn. Get the thief back on a horse, Captain Dennis." "Yes, sir." Someone started to lift me, but I pushed the hand away in haste with the last of my fading energy. "We have to go," the medic said softly. "I'm sorry." "Gods all, don't leave the jewels!" I said, appalled. I made the Governor General laugh. "You do have your priorities, don't you?" I shook my head while the medic took hold of me and got me to my feet. Everything began buzzing and the air tingled. "I would never leave -- the mages are coming, sir." "Pardon?" "Get the jewels before they're trampled into the dirt!" I sagged in the hands of the medic, hardly able to keep my head up. "The mages are --" Here. The mages appeared in a tight circle, a full dozen men and women of such power they glowed. They didn't waste time; in a moment a wind grew, blowing back towards the dwindling fire I had barely kept going. Bright red flames danced up through the trees and reached towards the stormy sky. For a brief moment I wondered if I had chosen the wrong profession after all. This was true power. I could see a line of Devildins barely a few yards away, their heads held high, horns gleaming as they rushed forward, screaming in attack -- but the mages destroyed them as well. We were going to win. I looked up to find the Governor General staring at me. There was still the little matter of whether or not he would hang me. I decided not to ask just now, and closed my eyes, going to the quiet peace of unconsciousness. A month later I stood on the docks at Acklin, I watched, with some dubious thoughts about my future, as the three rigged ship prepared to sail within the hour. Sailors shouted words I didn't understand. I'd never been tempted to take the sea and I stared at the endless blue and the distant clouds with growing trepidation. However, the alternative didn't much appeal to me, either. "Good luck, Lauren," Captain Dennis said with a hand on my shoulder. "And if you can't stay out of trouble, at least don't get caught again." "I have never been caught," I said, indignant at the words. Professional pride had been wounded. I leaned on the cane, wishing I felt slightly more surefooted for this journey. "I don't consider riding to find the army exactly the same thing, you know. You never would have found me." Dennis laughed. "I know. We're going to miss you." "Not enough to get my exile revoked." "Well, you know. Between the exile or hanging. . . ." "Good point. Time to go." I grasped the man's hand and nodded to the other guards. "Good luck, friends." "You, too," Captain Dennis said with a friendly nod. It was a better parting than I really expected. And no, they plainly had on intention of leaving before I sailed on the ship. Damn. I had hoped to slip away at the last moment. I went up the gangway onto the rocking deck, liking the feel less and less with each step. Sailors began loosening the ropes holding the ship at dock and the tide pulled at us even as the sails unfurled. I turned back to see Acklin one last time, looking at the hills beyond and searching out the Governor General's palace where I had been a guest while I recovered, although a guest under guard. Nonetheless, I was really rather surprised no one had bothered to search me before I went aboard the ship. The Governor General wouldn't be happy -- but what the hell. If I hadn't pointed it out, he probably would have left the jewels in the dirt anyway. One week later we sailed back into the port of Acklin and a worried sailor helped me down the walkway and into the waiting hands of Captain Dennis and Governor General Weblin. They must have spotted the damaged ship coming into the bay, sails full on a day when the rest of the world seemed becalmed. I pulled out the bag of jewels and handed them back to the Weblin. "Take the damned things." The Governor General took the bag, but he watched me, silent and waiting. I felt like a harbinger of disaster. "There's a whole damned fleet from Castlia on the way," I said, waving my hand toward the sea behind me. "More than twenty ships. We barely escaped, and I used magic to get us back and bring you warning." "Damn." Captain Dennis took hold of me when I started to fall. "Do me one favor?" I said. "Yes?" "Just hang me this time." The End ### About the Author: Lazette Gifford has publications in both electronic and print format, including material from Double Dragon Publishing, Yard Dog Press, Eggplant Literary Productions, Ideomancer, Fables, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and more. She owns Forward Motion for Writers and is the editor/publisher for Vision: A Resource for Writers. Connect with Zette: Web Site: http://lazette.net Twitter: http://twitter.com/lazetteg Joyously Prolific Blog: http://zette.blogspot.com/ Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/LazetteG