17. Ambush

Chuck frowned back. “I said I was sorry.”

When the Gem awakens to call a Hero, the world is ill prepared...and its fate is placed in the hands of a 17 year old boy, named Wendell. 

Some will say this is nothing but a tale of fiction.
Let them think as they may. 

After all...I can't fix stupid.

Previously: Wendell and party travel to the surface of Elämä with elder’s Gaidred and Altorin, to scout the Tämä-Un Prime Gate. Wendell, who gives into his new instincts…takes a deadly blow for Alhannah.

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There are dark and ominous people in this world. Individuals who lack scruples, morals, and even a shred of mercy. If it’s your misfortune to cross the path of such a person, tread cautiously.

Use wisdom to avoid a confrontation.

If a confrontation is inevitable, engage in conversation to de-escalate the situation. Some say words are violence. That’s not my experience.

Just be aware that violence could be the only language such individuals understand.

Make sure you speak clearly and concisely.

With the help of the Ithari, my wounds healed faster than ever before. That was a good thing, because Elder Gaidred pushed the party up the mountainside and across the peaks until we reached the ridge of Tämä-Un.

This was one of twelve gates, eleven active in the world. The ‘original’ or mother gate was in pieces, under the guardianship of King Robert III. Supposedly the guy we were going to meet. When I asked more questions, I was all but ignored. 

The elders seemed reserved about sharing gate lore. Gaidred would shake his head when I asked anything specific about how they functioned, then nod towards Alhannah. I made a mental note to ask Chuck my questions later and gave up.

Sweat trickled down my brow and neck, and my hair matted to my forehead. It felt like being in Georgia. It was so humid. The last hiking trip I’d been on was with my father — and that had gone badly. It had been too difficult for me to keep up in the sweltering summer heat. My dad, an avid hiker, was forced to stop repeatedly. He had to adjust his stride to compensate for my weaknesses and lack of experience.

This was different.

Ever since the Ithari had accepted me as host, I’d had more energy, stamina, and I was stronger. Even through the gasps and hard breathing, I could keep pace with the party without complaint. The moment we’d stop, my heart and lungs rested and rejuvenated in moments. If only I’d had the gem when I tried out for the cross-country team back home.

Only the wizard huffed and puffed loudly, which started to worry me. Chuck grunted and moaned, which was bad enough, but there were parts of the climb where he truly labored to breathe. When he’d start wheezing, Dax would appear by his side. There was a father and son type exchange between them. The elf always had water in hand, or offered to port Chuck ahead of our party. The wizard would refuse and instead throw out an occasional “exercise Nazi” comment in the direction of Gaidred. 

No one seemed to listen to his comments.

Except me.

The more I got to know the old wizard, the more I listened. That old guy knew things he wasn’t sharing, and there was no doubt in my mind that he’d been to Earth. He quoted Gene’s Wilder’s Willy Wonka, Yoda, and when I asked about Tämä-Un, he’d whispered ‘Now you know,…and knowing’s half the battle, G.I. Jooooe’. When Dax offered him some kind of Iskari biscuit, he grumbled about wanting a hamburger and a chocolate malt instead. Sure, he was odd, spouted all sorts of crazy phrases and insults I didn’t understand, but I liked that about him.

Chuck cared about others.

It was in the tones, the looks, and the thoughtfulness in little things.

Alhannah, as tough as she was, started stumbling through the thick brush as we labored on. When we stopped, Chuck had a cushion ready for her against a tree. When she sat down, he expressed how impressed he was with her focus and determination; her legs being shorter than everyone else’s. She’d smile, and he’d kiss her forehead.

He was here to help destroy Mahan, but — there was something else. Several times I’d caught him staring at me. Most people look away when they’re caught staring.

Not Chuck.

He’d just smiled encouragingly and nodded.

The morning sun made it difficult to see the small valley from above. The trees were thick along Tämä-Un’s peak, amply hiding us, but you couldn’t locate the black claws of the Prime Gate through the mist, either.

“I don’t like this,” Chuck muttered uneasily. “We’ll be sitting in their laps before we can see them through this soup.”

“There’s no other option, unless you want to use magic,” said Altorin, “but I wouldn’t advise it. Too much of a change would alert the enemy. They may have a mägo with them.”

“If there is one,” replied the wizard. “We could be sitting here, worrying about nothing at all.”

Gaidred stood and adjusted the pouch on his belt. “There is little choice in the matter. We must get close enough to see for ourselves.” 

Even I couldn’t argue with that line of logic.

The further we descended into the valley, the thicker the mist became. The sweat on my neck and forehead became uncomfortably cold. The light from above cast strange shadows, which hung in the air. Trees and shrubs melded together, taking on a blue tint, until the shapes became one. A single mass of growing darkness that consumed the surrounding forest, its thin tentacles writhing out into the cold.

“Your gonna be ok,” whispered Alhannah.

I looked at her wide-eyed. “What?”

The gnome reached out and patted my hand…which was scratching at my jeans. “You are going to be ok, Wendell. It’s just fog.”

“But what if there’s something in the fog?” I said.

She grinned. “There’s always something in the fog. The real question is if the something is close or far away. If it’s close, trust me, Dax’ll hear it before it can hear us.”

I breathed a momentary sigh of relief and relaxed. “Thank you, Alhannah.”

“No problem. You…reminded me of Green just then.” She adjusted her belt and her swords rattled lightly. “My little brother. He was always terrified of the mist, back home.”

“So you’d soothe his feelings. That’s…nice.”

She grinned widely. “Actually, I’d scream about seeing shapes in the mist and run like hell. Freaked him out.”

I stared at her, horrified.

She shrugged. “I just said you looked like him.”