NOTE! This is an ongoing story. If this is your first visit, please read the About This Page link, and then use the archive links to go the first post and read backwards.
Bob advanced slowly on the troops, hands wide and fingers splayed towards the ground. His lips moved in silence, then a soft murmuring could be heard as he raised his voice, chanting. His pace slowed to a halt as he turned his face to the heavens, unintelligible words now clearly audible.
“What’s he saying?” Tink asked.
“I don’t know,” Sam answered.
“He’s making an appeal to the Goddess of the Earth, and Father of the Forest,” Lilly told them.
“You know that language?” Sam asked, surprised.
“No, but I recognized their names and guessed the rest.” Lilly said. “Look.”
Lilly was looking away from the road to the lush forest. Sam and Tink followed her gaze and saw the skies darken in a boiling black cloud. Bob’s fingers twitched as he chanted, and an ominous humming filled the small clearing. The hum grew until it sounded like the roar of a wild beast, getting angrier by the moment.
The cloud left the forests edge and advanced on the closest troops, who started backing away with fear in their eyes. As a group, they started shouting and flailing their arms in the air and slapping themselves fiercely.
Bob walked backwards, joining his friends, while watching the proceedings intently.
“What the hell is that?” Lilly demanded.
“Bees, hornets, and wasps.” Bob explained. “And any other form of annoyance that could rapidly join us. Before long, the troops should break ranks and flee. I suggest you keep your eyes on the prince, so that he may be captured as rapidly as possible.”
“Will the bees attack us?” Tink asked fearfully.
“In all likelihood,” Bob answered. “They are not very selective. I merely directed them to the area where our foe was, and asked them to attack. They will probably attack anyone in that area.”
They watched as Bob’s prediction came true. Troops began to scatter in all directions, and the horse was whinnying and violently swishing its tail in an attempt to be free of the insects. The prince had pulled his cloak around his body and peered out through the smallest of gaps. The majority of the insects had followed the troops, and the clearing was almost free of the flying creatures.
“Let’s go Sam,” Lilly ordered as she drew her sword and dashed towards the prancing steed.
Sam followed her grandmother with Tink hot on her heels.
The prince was ready by the time Lilly reached him. His sword flashed in a violent down stroke from his mounted position. Lilly threw her own blade over her head to parry and the two connected with a load crash. Sam dashed to the opposite side and attempted to wrest control of the horses reins from the prince, but his blade swung around and barely missed taking off her hand. Tink was prancing around the horse, darting in towards its legs and scurrying back as the horse moved. She held a small dagger in her hand, and seeing the opening she had been looking for, dashed underneath the horse’s belly.
“What the hell are you doing?” Sam demanded, snatching her hand away from another attack.
“Helping!” Tink shouted back. She reached up and grabbed the belly strap of the saddle with one hand, and then deftly sliced through it with her dagger. She erupted from beneath the horse’s chin and jumped as high as she could, waving her arms wildly at its face.
“BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!!!!”
The horse had all it could take, and it reared on its hind legs violently. The prince went flying, saddle still gripped between his legs. As soon as he landed, he started to struggle to his feet, but was entangled in a mass of leather straps and heavy cloak. By the time he extricated himself, Sam and Lilly were there, swords dangerously close to his face.
“Daddy says you have to come home now,” Lilly told him. “Playtime’s over.”
Prince Don glared at her, and started to mutter.
Suddenly, Bob appeared and clasped a hand firmly over the prince’s mouth.
“I don’t think so, lad.” He said. “I’m the designated spell weaver here. You wouldn’t want me to take this to the union, now would you?”
“What was he doing?” Sam asked.
“Nasty bit of a spell, actually.” Bob answered. “If he had completed it, Lilly would have been turned violently inside out before exploding.”
“Ewww!” Tink said with a wrinkled nose.
“I did say it was nasty,” Bob told her with a chuckle. “I do believe a gag would be most advantageous.”
Tink produced a rag from somewhere on her person and gave it a sniff. She stuck out her tongue and gagged slightly.
“This should do,” she said as she handed it to Bob, who gingerly took it between thumb and forefinger.
The prince attempted to scoot away on his backside as Bob stuffed the disgusting rag in his mouth and tied it in place with a bit of rope. The prince’s eyes began to water as he coughed around the foul fabric as Bob tied the princes hands securely behind his back.
“Anyone besides me get the feeling this boy is going to be nothing but trouble?” Lilly asked.
“It sure is going to be a long walk dragging his royal-pain-in-the-ass the whole way,” Sam said as she put way her sword.
“We could beat him into submission,” Tink offered.
“I’m with the elf,” Lilly immediately agreed.
“Or…” Sam countered, “We could just tie him to his horse, if we can find it.”
“I could turn him stone,” Bob mused, “but he would be dreadfully heavy.”
“Couldn’t you just bibbity boppity float him all the way there?” Tink asked.
“I could, but it would be a serious drain of my powers for so mundane a task.” He answered. “Since we must assume that his cohorts will attempt a rescue, I would prefer to keep my powers at full strength.”
The group fell into silent contemplation. The prince started to slowly ease his way away from the group, and Tink cracked his head with a small rock.
“Aha!” Bob exclaimed, startling them all. “I can shrink him!”
“Shrink him?” Tink asked. “You can do that? Can you make stuff bigger too? Like people? Like ME?”
“I believe I have the necessary ingredients with me, and a small amount of preparation should produce a shrinking potion that would make him conveniently pocket-sized. We can bundle him in a pouch, where he won’t be able to escape, and if any of his men see us, they won’t see him and, hopefully, leave us alone.”
“Can I carry him?” Tink asked, excited. “Pleeeeease let me carry him!”
Everyone looked at Tink, who was trying to hide an evil grin. She was failing.
“Ahem, ladies, if you would be so kind as to keep our quarry from escaping whilst I prepare?” Bob asked as he swung his belt pouch to the front.
A small cauldron emerged, followed by bottle after bottle of multi-colored liquids.
“No… no…. nope…. A-HA!”
Bob held up a tiny vial in triumph. His hands flew as stoppers were removed and contents poured into the vessel. Tink crept close and attempted to peer into the concoction, and Bob rapped her smartly on the head with a huge spoon.
“Don’t breathe that, my dear.” Bob cautioned.
As the liquids swirled in the cauldron, Bob allowed a single drop to fall from the tiny vial. A cloud the color of vile sickness erupted swirling into the air, and Bob frantically fanned it away with his hands.
“It’s ready,” he announced.
“Get up, pretty boy.” Lilly ordered the prince, punctuating her command with a boot to the rear. “I’m gonna enjoy forcing that gunk down your throat.”
“No need,” Bob said as he dumped the contents over the scrambling prince. Another scream forced its way around the rag, rising in pitch as the prince rapidly dwindled in size. “Let him dry out for a minute before touching him. We wouldn’t want your fingers reduced as well.”
Tink stepped in and kept a close eye on the prince. He started running in a panic, and every time he got a bit of distance, Tinks boot stomped in his path.
“I do believe that it should be all right to collect him now, Tink” Bob informed her. “Provided, of course, that you haven’t ground him into the dust already.”
Tink dropped to the ground and followed the minuscule prince as he vanished into a clump of grass. She reached into the brush and felt around before holding her prize in front of her face. She scowled and tossed the item violently over her shoulder.
“Grasshopper,” she informed the group. “Just a sec.”
She pounced like a cat to the far side of the grass and emerged holding the struggling prince by a foot.
“Dammit, quit squirming or I won’t give him a chance to change you back!”
Tink stuffed him into a leather pouch Lilly was holding open. Sam dropped a small chunk of bread inside and Lilly tied the pouch securely closed. She handed the pouch to Tink, who cackled ominously.
“Don’t do it, Tink” Sam warned.
“Do what?” Tinks eyes were batting rapidly, lacking any real hint of innocence.
“Shake the pouch.”
“What are you talking about? I wasn’t gonna… oh, all right.” Tink surrendered and tied the pouch to her belt.
Bob had already packed his potions and stood.
“Everybody ready?” He asked.
“Yup!” Tink answered as she started skipping violently down the road, the pouch swinging wildly. “Let’s go!”
“TINK!” Sam and Bob cried.
“OK!” Tink shouted back as she settled into a more sedate walk.
