order until given a new one.
Or maybe, Glissa mused, they know I can’t do this forever, and they’re waiting for me to drop. It didn’t strike her as likely that Memnarch would use constructs that weren’t at least smarter than the average walking corpse.
By following a wide slagwurm trail that led in the general direction she wanted to go, Glissa was able to keep the constructs from leveling too much of the forest in their wake. Even so, a cacophony of hoots, cries, and howls arose on either side of the army as wildlife fled in terror. For a second, Glissa’s heart jumped when she thought she saw a wolf, but it might have just been a shadow or her imagination.
Of all her lost friends, the death of Al-Hayat, the giant wolf, had been especially brutal. The ancient forest creature had joined her cause simply because it was right. Memnarch’s forces had cut him down, and the wolf’s heroic death had saved Glissa’s life. Bosh had been a marvel, and a good friend, but in many ways the golem had been like a child. Al-Hayat had been more like a surrogate father who had come along to protect Glissa just when she’d lost her own. Sometimes she missed the big wolf almost as much as her mother and father.
The elf girl returned her attention to her flight path, the construct army still clacking and rumbling along after her. The slagwurm trail had grown fresher over the last few minutes, and Glissa realized that this might work even better than she’d planned. A slagwurm could inflict some real damage on the leveler army. The mammoth, legless monsters spent most of their lives underground—well, underground depending on your point of view, she supposed, remembering the dazzling interior of the world—and only ventured onto the surface when hunger drove them to it. If this slagwurm was still above ground, it could prove a potent, if unwilling, ally. She didn’t see it on the trail ahead, but it could easily be concealed under the thick Tangle canopy. She hoped it was. With her spark-driven power apparently drained, she needed every advantage she could get.
Glissa glanced down. The levelers were still keeping pace, scattering stunned fauna and flattening inconvenient flora. Slobad passed languidly by and rolled so he faced upward. “So where we goin’ huh?”
“Slobad!” Glissa blinked. “How long have you been following me? I told you to go to Taj Nar!”
“What?” Slobad replied. “Hard to hear up here, huh? Where we goin’?”
“You—I said you should—”
“Yeah, thinking you want excuse to go back down that lacuna, huh?” Slobad continued. “Need someone who knows what’s going on, huh? Who knows better than Slobad?”
“Slobad, you might get killed,” Glissa said bluntly. “Especially if you don’t fly a little higher.” She nodded, indicating a wobbling tower of stacked levelers that snapped at the goblin’s feet. “Please, go back,” she said, gripping Slobad’s shoulder as he rose. “I’m not losing you, too. And they can’t find the den without you.”
Slobad just stared, and folded his stubby, clawed arms across his chest. “Got far enough to give directions. Wasn’t easy to convince sister elf, but Bruenna helped.”
“Look,” Glissa said. “This might not kill me. It’s dangerous, but I’m not suicidal. And I need you to look after Lyese. Slobad, you’re the only one I trust. Don’t you know that?”
“What about Bruenna? She big-time mage, huh?”
“Right,” Glissa agreed. “She also worked for the vedalken for a long time, and she’s just lost all of her people. She seems fine, but I’m not sure she’s stable. Please, Slobad.”
“Only if you say you come back, huh? Not going to let Slobad be a ball of string for Kha?”
“Okay, I’m coming back,” Glissa said. “Now go, will you? This enchantment won’t last all day.”
“But—okay,” the goblin sighed. “See you soon, huh?” Slobad added, veering off toward Taj Nar. Glissa watched him go
Or maybe, Glissa mused, they know I can’t do this forever, and they’re waiting for me to drop. It didn’t strike her as likely that Memnarch would use constructs that weren’t at least smarter than the average walking corpse.
By following a wide slagwurm trail that led in the general direction she wanted to go, Glissa was able to keep the constructs from leveling too much of the forest in their wake. Even so, a cacophony of hoots, cries, and howls arose on either side of the army as wildlife fled in terror. For a second, Glissa’s heart jumped when she thought she saw a wolf, but it might have just been a shadow or her imagination.
Of all her lost friends, the death of Al-Hayat, the giant wolf, had been especially brutal. The ancient forest creature had joined her cause simply because it was right. Memnarch’s forces had cut him down, and the wolf’s heroic death had saved Glissa’s life. Bosh had been a marvel, and a good friend, but in many ways the golem had been like a child. Al-Hayat had been more like a surrogate father who had come along to protect Glissa just when she’d lost her own. Sometimes she missed the big wolf almost as much as her mother and father.
The elf girl returned her attention to her flight path, the construct army still clacking and rumbling along after her. The slagwurm trail had grown fresher over the last few minutes, and Glissa realized that this might work even better than she’d planned. A slagwurm could inflict some real damage on the leveler army. The mammoth, legless monsters spent most of their lives underground—well, underground depending on your point of view, she supposed, remembering the dazzling interior of the world—and only ventured onto the surface when hunger drove them to it. If this slagwurm was still above ground, it could prove a potent, if unwilling, ally. She didn’t see it on the trail ahead, but it could easily be concealed under the thick Tangle canopy. She hoped it was. With her spark-driven power apparently drained, she needed every advantage she could get.
Glissa glanced down. The levelers were still keeping pace, scattering stunned fauna and flattening inconvenient flora. Slobad passed languidly by and rolled so he faced upward. “So where we goin’ huh?”
“Slobad!” Glissa blinked. “How long have you been following me? I told you to go to Taj Nar!”
“What?” Slobad replied. “Hard to hear up here, huh? Where we goin’?”
“You—I said you should—”
“Yeah, thinking you want excuse to go back down that lacuna, huh?” Slobad continued. “Need someone who knows what’s going on, huh? Who knows better than Slobad?”
“Slobad, you might get killed,” Glissa said bluntly. “Especially if you don’t fly a little higher.” She nodded, indicating a wobbling tower of stacked levelers that snapped at the goblin’s feet. “Please, go back,” she said, gripping Slobad’s shoulder as he rose. “I’m not losing you, too. And they can’t find the den without you.”
Slobad just stared, and folded his stubby, clawed arms across his chest. “Got far enough to give directions. Wasn’t easy to convince sister elf, but Bruenna helped.”
“Look,” Glissa said. “This might not kill me. It’s dangerous, but I’m not suicidal. And I need you to look after Lyese. Slobad, you’re the only one I trust. Don’t you know that?”
“What about Bruenna? She big-time mage, huh?”
“Right,” Glissa agreed. “She also worked for the vedalken for a long time, and she’s just lost all of her people. She seems fine, but I’m not sure she’s stable. Please, Slobad.”
“Only if you say you come back, huh? Not going to let Slobad be a ball of string for Kha?”
“Okay, I’m coming back,” Glissa said. “Now go, will you? This enchantment won’t last all day.”
“But—okay,” the goblin sighed. “See you soon, huh?” Slobad added, veering off toward Taj Nar. Glissa watched him go
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