Enter the Frey

Chapter 11

Adam woke before the others, roused by the sound of snoring.

He frowned down at Selena, surprised to find she was the arbitrator of the warthog-like sound. Ziel woke also, mumbled something incoherent and threw a vase at Selena’s head.

“Kill them!” Selena shouted, sitting up in bed with a start.

“Morning,” Adam smiled at her.

“Oh… hi,” she blushed, pulling the bed covers over herself.

“Oh, like we haven’t all had an eye full,” Ziel scoffed. “You realise if I told you to walk about n***d all day you would have no choice in the matter.”

‘Yeah, but I might kill you,’ Adam thought, surprised by his murderous rage. In defence of Selena, he would dare challenge Ziel, even though he knew it wouldn’t end well for him.

“Yes, Ziel, I understand,” Selena submitted, eyes downcast and full of fear.

“Okay… so we need to try the different paths across the river,” Ziel said, getting himself ready. “Come on.”

As impatient as ever, he shook the others from their beds and poked them until they were ready to leave. Darian still looked like he wanted to drown himself in the river rather than crossing it. He sat on the corner of the bed, rocking back and forth gently until the others were ready.

Selena and Adam exchanged glances, both hoping the other would bridge the topic of Ayla to Ziel. When Selena made puppy dog eyes Adam gave in.

“So, Ziel, I was wondering…” Adam started.

“No,” Adam cut him off.

“But you don’t even know what I’m going to ask,” Adam protested.

“Don’t I?” Ziel asked, giving him a knowing look.

“Please?” Adam asked. “What harm could it do?”

“Didn’t we say the same about Anrose? Look how well that turned out,” Ziel shrugged.

Adam could tell Ziel wasn’t going to budge, but really didn’t want to be the one to tell Ayla. He as half tempted to skip out through the window to avoid it. A cowardly move—it was something the old Adam would do. He wanted to be a different person here, but even in this powerful and beautiful body, he was still the same old Adam underneath it all.

When the group paid for their stay, Adam was heartbroken to see Ayla waiting by the door, ready to accompany them. Her face fell when she met Adam’s eyes, reading the answer in his sorrowful expression.

She didn’t even try to plead or argue, just slumped into the nearest seat and watched them leave with a forlorn expression. The scene reminded him of his grandma’s old Labrador when he’d grown too ill to accompany them on walks.

“I feel terrible,” Selena whispered to him.

“Me too,” Adam nodded.

“Don’t bother,” Ziel warned as they slid out of the wooden doors and into the fresh morning breeze. The sun sat high in the sky, providing little warmth while causing Adam to squint under its fierce glare.

“Let’s just pick one and try it,” Ziel suggested. Somehow Adam knew it wasn’t going to end well.

“This one,” Ziel stood decisively at the foot of one of the more stable looking bridges. “You lot go first.”

“I’m not scared,” Aim declared, stomping ahead. “I’ll go.”

When Adam placed a foot on the rope bridge he felt it creak and pull under his weight. He wobbled as he placed his other foot on, almost slipping into the monster-infested water below. With every extra person that mounted the rope it became more difficult to stay upright.

“Look out,” Aim warned, calling back to the others. “Things get weird about half way.”

Looking around, Adam couldn’t see what she was referring to.

Then he felt it.

Disorientation. Dizziness.

Lightheaded and woozy, he clung to the rope, gripping it so tightly the fibres cut into his flesh.

“Weird,” he muttered. After a couple more steps the sensation passed and normality returned.

When he stepped back on to solid land Adam looked up and frowned. “Is that the Inn?”

“Yup,” Aim answered. “We are back on the side we just left.”

“How?” Darian cried. “We couldn’t have gotten turned around.”

“It’s some sort of magic,” Ziel mused. “We need to find the right path. I say we split up and try them all.”

Adam knew what was coming. He eyed the bridges, hoping he wouldn’t have to take the one that was missing large sections of footing. Somehow he doubted Ziel was going to offer to take that fall as their illustrious leader.

“Jack, you take the rickety one, you are the smallest,” Ziel said.

“Why are you always picking on Jack?” Selena complained. “I’m the second smallest and most ample… I’ll take the most dilapidated one.”

“Oh, you will, will you?” Ziel challenged. “I forgot you were in charge.”

Selena sighed and looked down. Adam was impressed by the bravery she’d shown in even trying to help out Jack. He didn’t blame her for conceding when Ziel put the pressure on. He’d already taken her long, silky locks. What else would he do to her if she provoked him?

He considered speaking out in her defence but realised he didn’t dare.

‘Am I that afraid of him?’ Adam asked himself.

As Adam made eye contact with Ziel, felt the heat radiating from his red-tinted eyes and decided, yes… he was that afraid.

He mounted the bridge assigned to him, alongside Aim, who was the only one without her own path and chose to follow him for whatever reason.

“Why didn’t you go with Ziel?” Adam asked.

“Why would I?” Aim frowned.

“I thought you two were… sort of… a couple?” Adam said.

Aim laughed so hard it caused the wooden beams to wobble. “Oh, deary me, no. Does it really seem that way?”

“You act as though you like him,” Adam pointed out.

“Oh, well, he’s less mean if I act that way,” Aim said.

“This world is so backwards,” Adam cried. “Women shouldn’t have to pretend to be into a guy. It’s so wrong.”

Aim stopped walking and turned to Adam. The look in her eyes was misty, as if she were absorbing what he had to say. He really felt like he was getting through to her. Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder he continued, “You are a beautiful and strong woman, and you don’t have to let any man dictate your actions.”

Aim leaned forward and placed a kiss on Adam’s mouth before flashing a smile and turning to continue across the river.

‘What was that kiss about?’ Adam wondered.

As they reached the centre the same thing happened. The dizziness and sensation of fog on his brain.

“I feel like we just got turned around again,” Adam said. “Maybe if we physically turn back, we will be facing the correct way.”

“We can try,” Aim smiled back at him.

It didn’t matter how many times they tried turning around, the same problem occurred. Eventually they met the others back on the side of the river.

“What took you guys so long?” Jack asked, with a sly grin.

Aim giggled, which didn’t help matters. Adam could see the way Selena was looking at them, in confused disappointment. He made a mental note to explain what had happened.

“We tried turning,” Adam shrugged. “It was no use.”

A shout drew Adam’s attention to the Inn. He pricked up his ears—something he found he could literally do as an elf—and tried to find out where the cries were coming from.

A group of burly looking men were dragging the women from the double doors by the hair.

“Shut your damn mouth or I’ll burn your precious Inn to the ground,” one man threatened. Flames flitted about his raised hand, sparking and then going out in a puff of blueish smoke.

“We should help…” Adam began to say.

“Why must you always want to help everyone?” Ziel sighed. “Not everything that happens is our business or our problem.”

“Do you have any empathy for others at all?” Adam cried.

“Empathy,” Selena repeated. “Empath! Not M path, but empath. We need to take the empath.”

“Yes!” Adam cried. “The girl… Ayla… She wanted to get across the river because she felt someone needed her help. She must be the empath.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Ziel frowned.

“Just trust us,” Adam urged, pointing in the direction of Ayla. “We need that girl.”

As a group they followed the men and their captives around the back of the building, attracting their attention when they were close enough to be singled out as rescuers.

“Well,” Ziel looked to Adam. He had no idea what was expected of him, having never been in any physical confrontation that wasn’t him being bullied and overwhelmed by a stronger foe. He hadn’t ever been the attacker.

Plucking up courage… and figuring he had nothing to lose in this place, Adam stormed over and tried to grab Ayla from the arms of her kidnapper.

“What are you doing?” Ziel cried in horror.

Adam looked up to see the man staring down at him with an amused look. “Has this one lost his pretty little mind?”

“Why are you trying to perform a melee attack?” Aim asked.

“Erm,” Adam took a step back, suddenly feeling very stupid and concerned about the burly guy’s expression.

As he lifted his foot from the floor he was pushed and went flying back into his own group. Thankfully, he was caught by Ziel.

“We going to have a problem here?” the guy asked.

“No. No problem. If you hand over that girl right now and walk away,” Ziel told him.

The laughter that boomed from the group of men was deafening. “You lot?”

“What are you bunch of scrawny nobodies going to do?” The pyromaniac asked, flames dancing over his hands. “I’d rather burn their flesh off than let you have them.”

With that Adam became angry. He wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but the anger became rage and the rage translated into a feeling he’d had only once before—when creating the ice.

“You bastard,” he cried, making a fist at the fire user.

He noticed the shocked expression on the man’s face before he noticed the bolt of ice.

A second later the guy was pinned to the back wall of the building by a block of ice that looked like a frozen wave. He’d turned blue, and as his friend tried poking him, one of his hands dropped to the floor and shattered.

“Okay,” the leader said, backing away from Ayla with his arms raised in surrender. “We don’t want any part of this. You can take her.”

When Adam took a step toward them, he felt the vibration in his hand. The magic energy thrummed through him, crying to be let out.

These men had planned to hurt innocent women had probably done it before and would do it again. If not for the rage-fuelled magic energy clouding his judgement, he might have let them off with a warning.

He swept his arm from left to right, cutting down the entire g**g with the icy guillotine as she tried desperately to escape.

As the high energy vibrations levelled out and normality resumed, Adam looked at the picture he had created. It looked like some new-age art sculpture, or a scene from Batman with Mr Freeze. Mr freeze was a bad guy Adam could get behind—having comparatively decent moral reasons for his evil deeds.

“Wow, and I thought I was the merciless killer of the group,” Ziel said and patted Adam on the back.

“That was mercy,” Adam explained. “For all the women they won’t get to t*****e or kill.”

Ziel rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he said to Ayla. “You still want to get across that river?”

“Hmm, yes please, Sir,” she nodded.

When he tried to follow the group to the bridge Adam found his legs too unstable to walk. He had a little wobble and had to be steadied by one of his teammates. He was shocked when he turned and found Darian holding his waist.

Darian pushed his shoulder into Adam’s underarm and took his weight as they followed the others.

“That was… the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” Darian gushed.

“I just killed people,” Adam said. Reality was finally sinking in. How could be ever return to his world, knowing her was a killer?

‘It’s all just a dream. A strange and wonderful coma dream,’ Adam assured himself. ‘I’ll wake up and my parents will be relieved, and everything will be fine.’

“No discombobulation,” Darian smiled up at Adam. “We are one step closer to getting out of this nightmare.”

When they reached the other side of the river everyone collapsed and laughed with relief and joy at finishing the task. Even Ziel seemed chilled out for a change.

Adam laid back and stared at the sky, with its odd purple hue and pink-tinted clouds. Like a permanent sunset on a warm evening. He could feel the weight of eyes on him, and was surprised to find not just Selena, but also Aim and Darian were watching him with dreamy stares.

‘I’m not used to this much attention,’ he thought, a knot forming in his stomach.

“Come, on.” Ziel clapped his hands. “No time to dilly dally. Let’s get moving. We need to find the treasure in a deep, dark cave.”