PURE OF HEART Read online

  “That’s right, he would,” Bravic growled, but a smile crept across his face. “That’s why I’m going to go with the two of you. Without me, you two wouldn’t last a day on this quest.”

  “Han, have you told him everything?” Dean blurted out.

  “Yes.” Han gulped. “After all, he did save our lives . . . and he’s a mighty warrior,” the Elvana nervously added.

  “I don’t know. I appreciate you wanting to help, but I don’t know if it’s right to drag you into this too,” Dean said.

  “The way I see it, you need my help. Right now I don’t have any place to go, so I’m going to come along.” Bravic pressed his lips together and squared his wide shoulders.

  Dean looked at the imposing Dwarf for a moment before he nodded his head. “Okay. My name’s Dean Theradine, at your service.” Dean bowed, trying to remember how Panadur had taught him. “If I was out a whole day, then Han must have told you all about me already.” Dean scowled at Han.

  “He’s told me most. What I believe and what I don’t, I still have to see, though. I mainly question the part about you being from the Heavens.”

  “I’m not from the Heavens,” Dean growled as he glared at Han.

  “Whoops.” Han impishly smiled.

  Dean’s stomach rumbled. “Is there anything to eat? I’m starving.”

  “This little woodsman is a fair shot with that little bow. On small game,” Bravic added when he noticed Han’s smug grin. “He managed to down quite a few rabbits. They’re all skinned, cleaned, and cooked. We thought we should wait for you, much to my own dismay.”

  After the three sat down and ate a hot breakfast, they continued on their way, beginning a downward trek from the mountains. For four days they traveled. When they stopped to rest, Bravic taught the others how to fight against someone with an axe. Soon, Dean and Han were covered with bruises. The two learned quickly but used different styles. Han ducked and dodged then tried to spring in and jab quickly. Dean, however, attacked aggressively, trying to turn the blows aside with his sword and sweep in, using the speed of his weapon.

  The days were gray and dark; storm clouds turned thicker and seemed to sink closer. The clouds hid the sun and tried to smother their spirits as well. To pass the hours as they walked, they talked about the two lands and told tales. Bravic frequently burst into a boisterous and spirited song of the Dwarves:

  Since the days of Caltic we dug deep

  Into the mountain for gold to reap

  We’ll dig all day, we’ll dig all night

  We’ll dig till we see that golden light

  We are Dwarves! We are Dwarves!

  We dig under mountain

  We dig under light

  We dig all day and we’ll dig all night

  We’ll dig till we see that golden light

  We are Dwarves! We are Dwarves!

  Our backs are stone

  Our arms are steel

  Deep under mountain

  Our hammers we wield

  We’ll dig all day, we’ll dig all night

  We’ll dig till we see that golden light

  We are Dwarves! We are Dwarves!

  As they traveled, the land became less rocky and more level. Small shrubs became trees and the gravelly path turned to grass. Soon they were out of the mountains and traveling over grassy hills, spanning out in front of them like a green sea in a storm.

  On they journeyed—Dean and Han were glad the travel was a little easier now. Even though Bravic seemed to miss the mountains, he still burst into his rugged songs. During their fifth night on the plain, they camped between two grassy hills. A forest now loomed before them, only a short distance away. As Dean gazed upon the sky, the clouds parted for a moment, and a shadow passed between him and the almost-full moon.

  “Did you see that?” he whispered to Bravic. “It was some big flying thing.”

  “Did it look like a bird?” Bravic leaped to his feet.

  “No. It wasn’t a bird. It looked like a—” Dean’s words cut off as Han tackled him from behind.

  Dean pitched forward as four taloned paws swept just over his unprotected head.

  “They’re Tarlugs. Flying Krulgs. Should we stand and fight?” Han drew his little dagger and got to his feet.

  “Run and hide,” Dean yelled as he drew his sword and ran toward the forest.

  “Good idea, Human.” Bravic unslung his huge battle-axe and raced after him.

  As the three ran, Han nocked his bow, and all three looked to the black sky. Dean saw what looked to be a Krulg with huge, dark-green wings flying toward them.

  “Twelve o’clock high,” Dean screamed as he set his feet in preparation for the creature’s attack. Dean stepped to the side as the Tarlug descended on him. His sword struck it in the chest and sent it spinning down, where it skidded along the ground. “I got it!” Dean cheered. “I got it!” Dean vaulted into the air and felt talons rip into his jacket and pull him off his feet. “Help! It’s got me!”

  An arrow flew from Han’s bow and sunk into the back of the Tarlug that held Dean. The Tarlug went limp, and they both crashed to the ground.

  “Come and stand your ground where I can hit you, you cowardly flying dogs.” Bravic raised his axe and screamed at the sky.

  Dean picked himself up; the others ran to him. They all looked up and could see many more shapes fly overhead.

  “Run for the woods. They can’t fly in there.” Dean dashed ahead and the other two followed.

  The Tarlugs descended after their fleeing prey. Dean and Han reached the tree line first. Bravic was still racing toward them when a Tarlug dove at his unprotected back. Two more arrows flew from Han’s bow. The first struck the Tarlug in the wing, but the second hit its chest. The beast drove straight into the ground and landed in a bone-cracking heap.

  The Dwarf sprang for the safety of the trees. A Tarlug tried to pull out of its downward plummet but smashed into the upper branches of the tree. It bounced from limb to limb, only to land on its head on the ground. With a single swing of his broadaxe, Bravic made sure it was dead.

  “I think we should keep going forward,” Dean panted as they stopped a short distance away in the woods. “I don’t want those things chasing us all night.”

  “We can’t go forward. The Palutaried Swamp is in this forest, and I wouldn’t want to journey into it in the day, let alone at night,” Bravic said grimly.

  “Well, I know we’re safe.” Han crossed his arms and leaned against a tree. “Tarlugs can’t fly in a forest, so we have nothing to worry about.”

  “Unless they walk, too.” Dean pointed to the Tarlugs that landed at the edge of the woods and walked into the forest. “Let’s get out of here. Palutaried Swamp, here we come.”

  Again they ran. Dean and Han had to slow down for the Dwarf, but they all began to outdistance the creatures. The Tarlugs were not able to run fast because they had huge wings and seldom used their legs.

  As they raced through the forest, the ground became spongy. Pools of dark, muddy water rose from either side of the narrow path. After a while, the pools grew into one and the water steadily rose. Soon, even the path disappeared. While they continued to wade through the water, Dean looked nervously at Han. The water was now up to the Elvana’s chest.

  “Stop. Listen. I think we lost them,” Bravic whispered.

  “I think you’re right. Should we go on?” Dean asked.

  “I think we have to keep gong straight. I have no idea where we are,” Bravic grumbled.

  “Then we don’t have any choice.” Dean shrugged. “Han, I think you’d better get up on my shoulders. The ground seems like it’s leveling off, but I don’t want you to fall into a hole or something.”

  “Sounds like an excellent idea to me.” Han beamed; the thought of getting out of the muck was very pleasing.

  They picked their way through the swamp. They headed north as they twisted and turned around the vine-covered trees and mounds of earth that rose periodically. Their f
eet sank in the thick ooze at the bottom, and with each step they took, it became harder to pull their legs free. Their footsteps also churned up the murky waters, making them even blacker and creating a foul, rotten odor that lingered in the stagnant air.

  The swamp was home to a great number of flying, crawling insects that bit, stung, and swarmed over them. As they walked, the swamp swallowed any trace of their passage. The water seemed to transform into smooth muck once again.

  “Dean, something bumped my leg!” Bravic yelped nervously as he tried to peer into the black water.

  “Imagine it’s a fish,” Dean called back.

  “Yeah, imagine it’s a fish,” Han repeated from atop Dean’s shoulders. The Dwarf glared up at him.

  After traveling a little farther, something bumped Bravic’s leg again.

  “There it is again!”

  “Imagine it’s a fish,” Dean snapped as he slipped and almost fell headlong into the murky water.

  “Yeah, imagine it’s a fish,” Han teased.

  Dean stopped to rest—Han, as light as he was, had started to tire him—and Bravic yelled a muffled call from behind.

  Han turned. “Imagine it’s a—it’s not a fish,” he screamed as he saw only Bravic’s feet stick out from the mouth of an enormous snake who, with his prey in its jaws, dove back into the water and sped off to their right.

  Dean lunged after the fleeing snake. Han tumbled from his back and landed with a splash. The snake moved so fast it was soon lost from sight in the dark water.

  “Han! Come on, we have to go after Bravic,” Dean cried.

  “We don’t know where it went.” Han spat, trying to get the foul tasting water out of his mouth.

  “It’s going to eat him.”

  “I don’t think so.” Han shook the water from his hair. “At least not right away. It’s an Aliandor. They like to save their prey and eat them later. At least that’s what I’ve heard. There are some in the Weeping Meadow Marsh, but I never heard of one that big. It could have grabbed you.”

  “So Bravic could still be alive? It didn’t bite him in half or squeeze him to death or—”

  “I hope not.” Han made a horrified face. “A fisherman from my village was taken one time, so my dad and some men went to rescue him. My dad said the snakes do all their hunting and then eat everything they catch later. It might have a nest or home around here somewhere, and it would have taken Bravic there.”

  “Bravic! Bravic,” Dean called and then listened. There was no response but the sound of buzzing insects. “BRAVIC,” Dean screamed as loudly as he could, but again, only the sounds of the swamp were the reply. “How are we going to find him? Do you think we could see its lair?”

  Han’s voice cracked with frustration. “It could be anywhere in this swamp.”

  “You said it does all its hunting at once?” Dean asked.

  Han nodded. “My dad said the snake came out and caught a member of the rescue party. They followed the snake back and saved both men,” he said proudly.

  “We’ll do the same thing,” Dean said excitedly. “If we can get that snake to come back after one of us, we’ll follow it back to its lair.”

  Dean splashed around in the water and waited.

  Nothing.

  “Why did it take Bravic?” Dean asked.

  “You’re probably too big.” Han shrugged. “I think you could fit in its mouth but you are big.”

  “That’s it. I’m too big, but you’re not.” Dean pointed at the Elvana.

  “Not me,” Han cried as he climbed one of the vine-covered trees. “You’re not going to use me as snake bait.”

  “Come on, Han. It’s Bravic’s only chance. We’ll never find its lair if we don’t,” Dean pleaded.

  “You act like snake bait. I might be little, but I’m not a mouse for some oversized snake,” Han yelled down at Dean as he climbed farther up the tree.

  “Yeah . . . you’re not a mouse, you’re a chicken,” Dean yelled back.

  “Well, I’m an alive chicken,” Han snapped as he clung tightly to the tree. “And that’s the way I’m going to stay . . . alive.”

  “You said they don’t eat their prey.”

  “I said I think they don’t eat their prey. I’m not positive. That’s just what my dad told me.”

  “Fine, be a chicken and stay up in the tree. I’m going to get Bravic,” Dean growled as he knelt in the muck. The filthy water now came to his chest.

  Dean walked on his knees. “Come on, snake. I’m a nice, fat, juicy Dwarf,” Dean bellowed as he tried to imitate Bravic. He started to sing, in his best Dwarven impression: “I dig all night. I dig all day. For the gold. For the gold. Because I’m a Dwarf. I’m a Dwarf.”

  “What’re you doing?” Han called down to him. “That’s not how the song goes. And even if it did, snakes can’t hear.”

  “Well, they feel vibrations or something,” Dean muttered as he glared up at Han.

  Han’s eyes went wide, and his mouth popped open.

  “And if I—” Dean’s words became muffled as his whole upper body was swallowed into the giant mouth of the snake. It lifted him high in the air and dove back under the water. As Dean felt himself being dragged along, he hoped he’d made the right decision, and this creature was not going to drown him.

  Just as he felt his lungs were about to burst, the snake came above water again in some enclosed den. Dean was dropped unceremoniously into a deep pit as the snake spat him out and then disappeared once again under the water.

  Dean wiped the slime off his face and looked around the pit. The sides rose over twelve feet. Above that was a domed ceiling made from sticks woven together.

  Bravic hurried from the shadows and stretched out his hand. “Imagine it’s a fish,” Bravic scoffed as he helped Dean to his feet. “It got you too, huh?”

  “Yeah. How do we get out of here?” Dean looked around.

  “It’s a giant beaver lodge. The snake must have taken it over. The walls are too slimy for climbing and too hard for using spikes, but if I get on your shoulders I may be able to jump out,” he said hopefully.

  Bravic made many attempts to climb out of the pit but fell back each time, reaching far short of the edge.

  “Let’s switch this,” Dean suggested as he rubbed his bruised shoulders.

  Bravic let Dean climb onto his back. Dean balanced himself on the broad shoulders of the Dwarf and jumped as high as he could, but he, too, came short of grabbing the edge of the pit.

  “Do you know what we need, Dean?” Bravic grumbled as he helped Dean up from the ground again.

  “A rope?”

  “No—Han.”

  “Well, don’t hold your breath because I don’t think he’s going to come,” Dean muttered.

  Outside the pit, they heard a splash of water. They drew their weapons. The shadow of the creature came over them. Dean and Bravic moved to the far side of the pit as a body and a large pack dropped from the creature’s mouth to land at their feet. As the small figure rolled over, Dean saw Han’s familiar face.

  “Han,” Dean cried as he helped the Elvana to his feet.

  “Were you expecting a chicken?” Han snapped as he tried to clean the water and slime from his face.

  “You brought my pack?” Dean smiled as he picked it up.

  “I was hoping to choke the stupid snake with it,” Han grumbled as he shook the water out of his ears. “What’re we going to do now that all three of us are in this predicament?”

  “Let’s get out of here before that snake comes back. Quick, up on Bravic’s shoulders,” Dean ordered as he stood against the wall.

  After Bravic got on Dean’s shoulders, Han climbed on them both and jumped to grab the edge of the pit. He snagged a hanging root and dangled above them.

  “Pull,” Bravic growled.

  “I’m trying.” Han’s feet slid on the side of the pit as he clung onto the vine. “The side of the pit is slimy too. See how my feet are slipping? Why is that snake so slimy? It�
��s not a worm, but it has a coat of slime that—”

  “Stop talking,” Dean snapped. “Pull yourself up.”

  “I’m trying.” Han groaned before he climbed out and disappeared from sight.

  “I wonder what was harder for him,” Bravic grumbled, “pulling himself up or not talking?”

  “Now what do I do?” Han called down to them as he peered over the edge.

  “Look for a rope or a vine or something,” Dean yelled.

  Han peered around and saw the long, intertwined-stick ceiling.

  “It looks like an abandoned beaver lodge,” Han called down to them.

  “I already told him that,” Bravic grumbled.

  “I’ll try to pull one of these sticks down.” Han jumped at a limb that hung from the ceiling.

  “No,” Bravic yelled as Han jumped up and snagged the branch. “Look at the structure. It uses tensional force to dissipate the weight. You’ll need to find a cross member that doesn’t bear any load.”

  Han hung momentarily on the stick, and his body twisted around in a slow circle. “What?” One eyebrow arched. The branch suddenly pulled free. “I did it!” Han cheered.

  The ceiling groaned and the sound of branches snapping overhead made them all duck their heads. Another branch fell from the ceiling and a second quickly followed.

  “I think you really did it . . .” Dean grabbed Bravic and moved against the wall of the pit.

  A large branch snapped, and the whole ceiling caved in around them. Han dove in the water as Bravic and Dean hid against the wall.

  “Sorry,” Han yelled. His head came back out of the water.

  “We can use the branches to get out now.” Dean helped Bravic climb. “If snakes feel vibrations, it felt that.”

  Han waited at the edge of the pit as Bravic pulled himself up on the branches. “It worked, didn’t it?” Han snapped in defense at Bravic’s scowl.