Page 10 of Monster Lover

Ghul Lykos grinned as if he had just won a bet.

“But, if it will help us get this over with quicker, I think we should do it.”

Ghul Lykos snarled and stomped a few feet away but muttered, “Fine. I’m with you.”

“Good,” said Harlin. “I knew you’d come around.”

Tish exited the tent. She looked unhappy but said, “I’ve decided I’ll help, but I don’t want any of you seeing how I do this or watching when we are traveling through the spirit path.”

The three of them gave each other puzzled looks. “What do you want us to do?” asked Harlin.

Tish produced three smelly sacks. “Put these over your heads and that way you won’t see or hear much, and I’ll guide us through.”

“I’m not doing that,” spat Ghul Lykos. “I’ll not let you bash us over the heads because we were foolish enough to put bags over them.”

“Tish isn’t like that,” said Harlin.

“Maybe she’s not, but what about the other ogres in there?”

Tish grimaced and said, “It doesn’t work like that, little man. We won’t bump into any material ogres while traveling on the spirit path.”

Ghul Lykos looked suspicious.

Daemona guessed this would be the best chance she might have to escape, so she gave the most convincing disarming lie she could think of. “I don’t have a bad feeling about this, and if Harlin will trust his safety with a sack over his head, I suppose I will too.”

Harlin gave her a warm smile for that.

Ghul Lykos remained quiet but begrudgingly took a sack from Tish.

The ogre matron beckoned them to follow her to the billowing tent. Inside, numerous roots and plants hung from the ceiling to dry. Various small jars and canisters of exotic substances filled the shelves. A rabbit hung upside down, soon to be Tish’s lunch, or so it appeared.

“I’ll begin the ceremony. You all put those bags over your heads and don’t try and listen too close. When I give you a tug, stand and hold hands and we’ll enter the spirit path and start toward your destination. Inside, you don’t have to hold hands, but maybe it will give you comfort. You won’t feel anything, nor have any other senses of this journey. It will be over before you know it.”

They put the sacks over their heads.

“Harlin,” said Daemona, “I could give you a tug too if you like.”

“What?” he asked far too loudly.

“Nothing,” she said, deciding this was not the time to replenish her powers, beside her sack smelled like rotten potatoes. Though it muffled everything, Daemona thought she could hear Tish softly chanting, but even without the sack, she wouldn’t have understood a word of the ogre’s language.Now is as good a time as any. I’m done with this nonsense. Let the princesses take care of themselves. She ported just outside the tent and took the sack off.

Pondering how to best elude Harlin if he came after her, movement caught her eye and she squinted through the tiny gap in the trees that they had come by a short time ago.

Masked black riders emerged one by one from the thick woods. There had to be a dozen of them. Some didn’t look like they were even living. One looked like a Death Knight.

They looked a whole lot more pleased to see Daemona in the clearing by herself than she was to see them. They drew swords, wands, and nocked arrows in bows.

Daemona ported back inside the tent. “We’ve got enemies outside! At least a dozen!”

Tish frowned at Daemona for having taken the sack off her head. She was so involved with her ogre ritual; she hadn’t noticed that Daemona had ported out and back.

Harlin and Ghul Lykos leaned toward the sound of Daemona’s voice with sacks still over their heads but all she could hear was a mumbled, “What?” from Harlin.

Arrows ripped through the tent. Tish caught one of the shafts in her arm and she cried out in anger.

A focused blast of magic energy threw the tent away like it was picked up by a hurricane. Only then did Daemona see the swirling blue and black circle behind the tent. It was like a cave in the air. It led beyond her sight into darkness.

Tish grated, “Take them into the void! Let’s go! Those are witches of the Grey Sovereign!”

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