“Worse than tyrants. Again, canon lore states that they destroyed several villages, down to the youngest child, who refused to pay them a tithe and who resisted their rule. They’re mass murderers. If he manages to free Devastey again, they’ll stop at nothing to regain their former power. Rheyna is an incredible queen, but she’s blind when it comes to her sister. She can’t bring herself to kill Devastey. But if Devastey finds her way out, there’s no doubt she’ll go after Rheyna.”
“What do I do with the key?” I asked.
“The quest was set up for the new keeper of the key to destroy the Queen of Dark Magic. Until she’s destroyed, the world of Abarria is vulnerable to the magic of the dark queen. And if Zaran is by her side, they’re doubly dangerous.” Casper shrugged. “You have to find a way to eliminate Devastey.”
My stomach churned. I knew that part, thanks to Liesel, but the whole story made the entire mission so much worse. I looked at the others. “You don’t have to come with me—this is going to be dangerous.”
“We came here for an adventure,” Ray said. “We’re not letting you go in on your own. For one thing, you’re not strong enough to take her on alone. For another…if we’re doomed to live in the game forever, nobody ain’t gonna want to let thatbitch break free. We’re coming with you, right?” He looked at the others.
They nodded, their expressions set.
“Then, I guess the sooner we get going the better. And we need to level up on the way. I dread the thought, but we’re going to have to seek out danger on the way in order to strengthen our powers,” I said.
“Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Onna said. “I predict adventure will come to you—after all, that’s the way the game was designed.”
We decided to head out the next morning, and so spent one last evening in Casper and Onna’s hospitality. I tried to sleep, but all night I was plagued with vague dreams about a dark and terrible queen, and the dangers that waited between us and her prison in the Summer Kingdom.
CHAPTER 33: THE GUARDIAN OF THE CRYSTAL FOREST
It wasearly morning when we started out. Casper had noted the closest approximation for the next Waypoint stop, and Onna had stocked our packs with more food. She also gave Brynn and me warmer cloaks and earmuffs, and Casper had extra boots that fit Reggie and Ray, though they wouldn’t fit Thornhold. They also had a store of toilet paper and gave each of us a spare roll, packed in waterproof bags.
“Be safe,” Onna said, waving as we headed back down the hill toward the stream. She looked almost sad to see us go.
“We will! We’ll come back to visit!” I called back.
As we crossed the stream back to the path, I sensed a wave of sadness—the same sadness that I felt leaving Liesel’s. “I wish we knew how things are going for Liesel…and Star.” I missed the little Frazzle Cat, and wished she was full grown so I could bring her with me. Then again, I really didn’t like the thought of putting her in danger.
We settled back into a smooth rhythm, keeping alert for dangers around us, ready for whatever might come our way. Onna had warned us that a werewolf clan lived nearby, and while they weren’t exactly evil, they took offense easily and, when triggered, could fight like they were fueled by hellfire.
“Well, what do you think?” Thornhold said. “This Devastey sounds kind of terrifying.”
“That she was willing to sacrifice her own sister to keep a stranglehold on a kingdom says everything. But I wonder if Rheyna will try to prevent us from killing Devastey. By now she might realize that Devastey will destroy her if at all possible,” I said.
“You should pray for help from Sinsara,” Brynn said. “She saved Rheyna and was an Elfin warrior, after all. Surely she’d be invested in giving you some divine intervention.”
I thought about the suggestion. It made sense, and I wasn’t averse to seeking some help from the ethereal realm—or whatever realm she was in. “I’ll give that a try,” I said.
I glanced up at the sky. The day was clear but chilly, and there was not a cloud in the sky. If it kept up like this, tonight was be cold. But along with the clothes and food, Onna and Casper had provided us with extra blankets—lightweight but warm—and they had checked out our tents to make sure they didn’t need any repairs. At least we were a little better prepared for the weather.
Autumn in Abarria was beautiful, though stormy, and everywhere the wind sent leaves whirling off the trees to cover the forest floor. The air here was clean—far cleaner than it was out in the real world, which was one plus.
Brynn walked by my side. Behind us, Reggie and Ray were walking, and close behind them, Thornhold. We kept moving in comfortable silence, passing through dark thickets and lighter clearings. The path was well-traveled, which made sense given so many players had come through on their vacations.
We were halfway through the morning when I sensed something. I held out my hand, motioning for the others to stop. They immediately responded—we’d come to an unspoken agreement on reacting when we were away from safe spaces.
I inhaled deeply. There it was—something musky on the wind. The werewolves? Perhaps, but Casper had specifically said they were further on. Perhaps they were out hunting? But no, as I stood there, I sensed something big and heavy trundling through the forest. Something cunning…but not malevolent. Then, before it appeared, I knew.
“Bear. There’s a bear coming at us over there. Start making a lot of noise so it backs off,” I said, raising my voice. “We don’t want bears on our tails!”
“That we do not,” Thornhold said, raising his voice. “Go away you brute! Begone!”
Everybody started yelling as the bushes parted and a startled bear broke through, near enough to see us, but far enough that he wasn’t close enough to attack.
We froze.
He froze.
I started singing the first song that came into my head, loudly and off-key, and the others joined in. It struck me with a bit of irony that we were singingKarhunkaatolaulu, by Korpiklaani—a Finnish metal song I thought might be about bear hunting. We had long listened to Euro-bands during our gaming adventures, and for some reason it just seemed appropriate.
