The dullahan from last time had me worried. Journeys like this are supposed to have opponents popping up, but that was too much. It's the kind of thing that suggests someone is meddling. That also jives with the assassin at the party, and it's not like there isn't plenty of motive. Brennen's emergence as a figure in faerie politics could have serious ramifications for certain individuals, if not for the nobles at large. As I considered that, I glanced at my secret weapon and wondered if it might be enough to stop the interloper. I guess it'll have to do.
As it turned out, this leg of the journey was in a swamp. We came out of a doorway in the middle of a very small patch of land populated by a single willow tree and surrounded by murky water and gnarled trees. There weren't any footprints like in the first leg or walls or other limits on the paths we could take like in the second leg.
"Is this going to be an underwater challenge?" asked Brennen. "Because I really don't want to swim in that."
"I don't think so," I said. "One thing the fey are known for is their physical grace. Well, not all of them are known for that, but the nobles definitely are. Anyway, I think this is supposed to challenge the athletic aspect of your fey heritage."
He gave me an annoyed look and said, "Are you telling me to go jumping and swinging around on rocks, roots, and branches?"
"I'm saying I think the journey is telling you that," I said as I knelt down and started unpacking my summoning gear. "And I think you'd surprise yourself if you tried it. Just like I bet your intuition was never even close to handling something like that maze until yesterday."
Then I stopped and considered something. I needed some kind of boat or raft if I was going to keep going beside Brennen, and there's a minor river spirit who owed me a favor. I had been about to make a circle, take out some symbols the spirit would respond to, and a few other tools, but now I thought I might try calling it up without any of that. I spoke the spirit's name three times with some fancy lines about his sacred waters and solemn debts, and then he just popped up. Just like that. He came, he enchanted a log to float where I wanted it to go and to be warded against harm, and then he popped out again. Just like that.
Mind you, I don't have the tiniest ounce of magical talent. I make plenty of magical charms and devices for my work, but even the easier ones take me several afternoons to finish. I know a decent amount of magical theory and when that doesn't make up for my lack of talent I either give up or cheat. In other words, I'm not some wizard who can just call up spirits on a whim. Except while we were on the journey. I said before that it seemed like the thing made us more of what we are, and I don't know if it would do that for anyone or if it's just making us each fit better into our roles, but the end result was that it allowed me to do things I couldn't have done otherwise. I think I should remember that.
"We still have no idea where we're going," said Brennen.
I'm pretty sure he was annoyed that I said he still had to try the whole fey grace thing. Anyway, about a second later something came hurtling through the air and became imbedded in the willow a few inches from Brennen's neck. A moment later we both saw that the projectile was a thin, sheathed sword. Then we swung around in unison to see where it had come from. Not too far away there was a woman in a ragged green dress with a sort of frail beauty that bordered on sickly. She pulled a lock away from the rest of her hair so that we could see the silver key tied into it. Then she jumped down into swamp and a large ripple shot out away from us.
"There you go," I said. "I guess it's a duel."
With that we both chased after woman. I tried not to look down into the waters, knowing as I did that it probably had many creatures far more frightening than alligators. Also, it probably had alligators. But those were all expected. The monstrous frogs with too many eyes, the scaly muskrats with the spine ridges, the tusked fish, and all those other freaks belonged here. I was on the lookout for something that didn't.
Brennen had just chased away an angry grindylow when I saw them. Four harpies were coming into a circle formation over the changeling. There was a gap between the tree he was on and the next large patch of solid footing, which meant he was going to have to make at least three leaps using very skimpy footholds and no cover from the foliage. I figured that was a good time to speed up my "boat." Also, apparently that thing can speed up.
One of the harpies dived for Brennen and I fired two shots from my gun. I actually didn't think I hit it at first, but apparently I grazed the wing enough to knock it off-course. The creature crashed into the water, and after a few seconds of floundering around it started to rise back into the air. Then there was a jerk from the leg still in the water and then something pulled the harpy down below the surface. I did a little fist pump and gave a thumbs up to Brennen, who had been understandably startled by the commotion.
Then he pointed at the harpy swooping down behind me.
When I looked over my shoulder I immediately panicked and flattened myself against the log. I willed it to move to the side, and at the same time I scrambled to fire at the creature. I had a much better shot at this one, but this time I was panicking. It would be a lie to call me anything but an amateur when it comes to marksmanship, and that level of skill doesn't mix well with panic. I got off four rounds, and every one of them was a miss. Fortunately, I at least managed to get out of the way of the dive, although I suspect the harpy could have corrected her course if she hand't been worried about taking a bullet.
As the harpy rose back into the sky, I heard a ringing clash and turned to glimpse my charge locked in combat with the fey woman. I felt a rush of relief. I couldn't be sure that he would win, but even if it was my place to interfere directly there wouldn't have been anything I could have done. He was moving amongst a grove of trees that would force the harpies to hop around clumsily if they wanted to interfere, which meant as long he didn't give them an obvious opening my job was done for this leg.
Now all I had to do was survive against three angry harpies. Oh, and my gun was a six-shooter, which meant it was now empty.
I tried to remember where in my many pockets I kept the other rounds, and drew up a great, big blank. I started patting myself down, vaguely aware that the assassins were coming in for another strike. They began their dive, and all I could find were a handful of small flares imbued with enough arcane power for them to drive away nocturnal monsters. They would be useless against my attackers. My little tricks weren't going to do it. A skilled fighter might win with the knife, but I've always been a perpetual novice there. It would take heavy firepower or genuine wizardry to take down those three. Genuine wizardry like what you might use to whistle up a spirit without preparation.
The harpies swooped down as one, and I figured it was more risky not to do something crazy. I pressed one hand down on the log and hoped desperately that the enchantment was one that formed a circuit with the outside environment rather than relying an internal reserve of arcane power. Then I tossed about half the flares up in the direction of the harpies and shouted a one word incantation. The flares exploded as if each had been two full tanks of gasoline, and at least a score of thick, zig-zagging tendrils of fire reached out and closed around my foes.
I didn't quite pass out, but everything was a bit hazy for the next few minutes. By the time I had reclaimed enough of my wits to head to land, Brennen had already beaten the fey woman and he was waiting for me by the door that had consequently appeared.
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