Page 10 of The Tricksters Deception

The creature yells, dropping its club and clutching its head. A small stone that drops beside me reveals the source—a familiar rescue. Could Corvu truly be here? Relief and a hint of excitement wash over me.

"Go back to your dwelling, Shorg!" A woman's voice commands. As I stand, I observe a woman and three others surrounding the Shorg with weapons drawn. One of the men wields a slingshot, but it's not Corvu. No, this man is unmistakably a Clawhop. The Shorg looks down at everyone, I can only assume contemplating how easy it would probably be to squash our skulls with its giant bare hands. After a minute of silence, it picks up the club beside it and slowly retreats between everyone, their swords and bows never facing away, not even for a moment. Minutes pass as the sound and vibrations of its footsteps are no longer heard. Looking around I see these people relax, a pair that were easily identifiable as twins chuckled sheathing their weapons, very proud of themselves. The two boys punched each other in the shoulder and retreated back to the main group, their long plaited hair pulled back slickly behind their ears, which were actually normal to my surprise. In fact, they may be completely human.

The woman that had shouted turns toward the Clawhop and gives him a peck on the cheek. A wave of gratitude washes over me, although worry lingers about what will transpire when they discover the amulet's power concealed beneath my shirt. I check, ensuring it's still safely tucked away, before emerging from the ditch with Gecko holding my hand.

"Thank you," I express first. The Clawhop turns to me, sporting a wide smile. It becomes evident that his upper half looks more human than the first Clawhop I encountered. Perhaps there's another species I'm unaware of, adding to my mounting exhaustion.

"No worries," his deep voice cheerfully responds. "We were heading this way and heard the noise. Couldn't very well just stand by." His friendliness provides reassurance. "I'm Luca. My wife, Bella, and my two sons Theda and Yunda." The twins appear close to my age.

"I'm Tia, and this is my friend Gecko. Honestly, I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"Get flattened?" Yunda remarks.

"Yeah, that was a given," I smile.

Bella chuckles, "We are glad you're okay. What are you both doing this far out without a cart or wagon?" Stunned and confused, I let Gecko answer.

"We got lost. We are just trying to get to the next city."

"Would you like a ride with us? We're performers, and this area has a lot of bandits. Being on your own, as you are, is dangerous." About fifty paces away stands a tall and wide carriage, golden doors, and dragon and vine paintings decorating the red exterior. As we approach, Gecko nudges me with approval.

"If you're offering, we would love to come with you," I respond.

"Wonderful!" Luca exclaims, arms thrown toward the air. "You shall ride with my wife inside, boys—" He's interrupted by the twins roughhousing, reminiscent of my childhood. I miss those days—the simplicity where the only worry was adoption. "Boys!" he shouts, "get the horses moving." The twins cease their antics and attend to the two grey horses, heightening my excitement. Perhaps these people are offering assistance purely out of kindness.

However, I can't expect safety, regardless of the situation. Luca, I learn, is a Clawhop, but only half. Daemonaria often mix and match species, even with humans. Grateful for his parents' union, Luca assumes he wouldn't have met his wife or had the twins otherwise. The twins, amusingly, bicker over every detail, even the size of an apple. Politely declining, I opt for berries gathered by Gecko and me. It's a refreshing change—I don't feel so helpless for once.

Later that day, we camp by a skinny river, where the twins teach me an unconventional fishing technique. They throw rocks to block the stream, toss a net over it, and watch the fish attempt to jump over. It's impressive, making fish retrieval for dinner incredibly easy. Gutting a fish for the first time, however, ruins my appetite.

The next day, our carriage ride is smooth, progress evident in the speed we travel. Excitement builds as we approach another village, anticipating the new discoveries awaiting me. I diligently update the journal, uncertain when I'll need to refer back to information. Bella, during the journey, teaches me to sew patterns into a satchel bag. Despite pricking myself with the blunt needle, I'm genuinely proud of the not-so-pretty flowers I create. Everyone finds it amusing, and Bella insists I keep the bag as a reminder of my starting point. Her curly hair triggers memories of my manager at the convenience store, a trying woman who disliked change but was always encouraging.

It was almost dusk when one of the twins popped his head inside the carriage window and announced that we were half a day’s ride from the next village, but they would have to stop to make camp in about an hour. I didn’t sleep well the night before. I had tried to get used to being cold and sleeping on the dirt but it just wasn’t a capability I was picking up easily, so while riding in a carriage with slightly padded seating, I took the opportunity to close my eyes and rest.

Chapter six

Rest doesn’t come easily to the weary. Especially not when it’s disturbed. I awake to Luca yelling at the top of his lungs. Bella must have also fallen asleep because she’s blinking rapidly and pulling out a short sword from the pile of items on the floor. The carriage is halted as she flings the door open. Gecko, who had fallen asleep on my lap gets up, but he seem frightened by the noise.

I hear the clashing of swords and desperate to make sure Bella was alright I pop my head out of the carriage, only to be very just missed by a flying arrow. Scarcely using the door as a shield I look around. Men with masks were attacking the family, at least six that I could count from the dimly lit lanterns that hung on the carriage and what remained of dusk. It was an unfair number.

“Bandits!” Yunda yells, helping his brother up off the ground to continue a battle they had already begun. The bandits in question seemed human in nature but because of how covered they were in black garments, masks, and weapons, I knew better than to assume they were anything but Daemonaria. I look behind me to see another basket-hilted sword on the floor of the carriage, it looks similar to Corvu’s, and honestly it helps me to feel better remembering that fact. I rush forward to help Bella, who is currently fighting off two of the masked figures at either side of her.

I strike at the assailant on the right with a downward motion, but he simply steps back out of my way. He was away from Bella now, although I didn’t feel my chances were any better. Lunging at me I barely manage to dodge his engagement as I fall into the dirt-covered leaves. I look up at him as he prepares to plunge the end of his sword into me, but a rock that collides swiftly into his forehead forces him backward.

Say what you will about those twins, they know how to aim and that’s what mattered to me. I lift myself up off the ground and lean up to see the twins were behind my attacker, still fighting their own foe.

“Hey!” A voice familiar to me calls, “You need to get up.” I feel a hand grab my elbow and with unusual strength pull me to my feet to face him. It was really him, right down to the hooped earring high on the point of his ears.

“Corvu.” My breath barely manages to say his name. He doesn’t have time to respond as the attacker who he had knocked down gets back up, much angrier than he was previously. With the mask removed I can see his warthog-like nose flaring, locking eyes with Corvu he begins roaring as he swings his sword over his head down at us. Swiftly Corvu blocks it with his own sword, kicking him in the center of his chest which sends him flying backward into the dirt, hard.

"So, firstly, hi," he turns to me, but we’re interrupted once more by a new dark figure approaching from the woods, only this time yelling incoherent words and swinging an ax around his head. This one is much bigger than the last, certainly heavier. "Hang on." Corvu sighs, taking a couple of steps forward, only to be missed by the swinging ax as the big man ends up burying it in the ground. Corvu elbows him in the face, gaining possession of the ax. Lifting it almost effortlessly out from the mud, he throws it in the general direction of the hooded man, lodging it directly into his shoulder and chest. He falls down instantly with a gurgled moan. Corvu takes a couple of steps back toward me, "Second, why did you run away?" he asks me, casually pulling out a dagger and throwing it directly into the eye of the attacker Bella had been struggling to subdue. It is a freakishly good shot.

“B-Because Patricia said people would be after the amulet.” I struggle to spit out, a little overwhelmed by the fact that he was even here, so far away from where we first met. He grabs my shoulders and pulls me down, as we squat another arrow flies past - a stray from the twins.

“So?”

"So, I heard you, you’re after it too!" I exclaim as he stands and pulls me toward the carriage. A bandit that has reached the carriage is pulling on Gecko’s arm as the kid attempts to kick him. He is so brave. Corvu lets go of me long enough to place his hands behind the bandit, snapping his neck in a simple yet swift motion. He pushes Gecko back into the carriage and pulls me along to do the same.

"I don’t know what you heard, but I don’t want the amulet, it's just clearly not safe for you to have it." Giving me a thorough shove into the carriage, he slams the door closed as he’s pushed against it. I let out a yelp as the whole thing moves. Corvu groans as he is collided into, only narrowly missing being impaled by the horns protruding from the masked bandit’s head. At least that one I can positively say is not human. As the ‘windows’ don’t contain any glass, I grab the closest sharp object I can find, which is one of the long, funny-shaped needles Bella has been using earlier, and plunge it into the back of the horned man's neck. Struggling to unhook himself from lodging his horns into the carriage, he swings his arms around. Corvu lets himself drop to the ground on his back and kicks upward into its face, which does actually help him become dislodged, but he only ends up falling backward into a rock. His body spasms a little as the needle is pushed all the way through, the prick of it glistening in the last hint of light.

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