Chương 35: Under the Shadow of a Raptor

With my Shadow Step at 6, I can travel sixty metres with just one step. My hope is that our canoe can come within range of the plinth with the dragon's tooth before the magical winds protecting it begin to blow. And my hope is rewarded. Repeatedly looking over my shoulder as I row, I see our goal come closer and closer. Until, perhaps only a tantalising thirty metres away, a sudden angry and powerful wind suddenly rocks us and the lake, which had been still and easy to glide through becomes turbulent.

It is as though we have rowed hard into a cliff: the canoe groans and creaks as it veers away from the small island. When we have been pushed away, the wind ceases.

'It's true then,' says Aarax after the violent rocking has eased.

'I wonder if you could lasso the tooth though, we got fairly close.'

'Probably the wind will block small objects as well as big ones,' Belle is in the front of the canoe.

'But let's try.' She unsheathes the +1 dagger that she obtained from one of the bodies in the troll cave. It is a beautiful blade, shaped like a thin triangle, with a purple sheen at its edges, suggesting that it cuts into realms invisible to our eyes. Surely she will not throw it? No, she is prising out a large splinter from the canoe. We edge closer… but not too close… and Belle's throw is strong.

As the chunk of wood reaches the boundary, again the magical wind interposes and the splinter is thrown aside with contempt, splashing into the lake and floating there.

'Oh, well.' Aarax raises his paddle again, as if to turn the canoe.

'Don't give up yet; I have a skill called Shadow Step.' I explain to my friends the nature of my skill and both look at me with eager eyes.

'Crow, you are like a chest of endless treasures. You just keep producing magic.' Belle's smile is heartwarming. Magical Crow. It's true, I've made choices all along that have favoured magic over more conventional rogue skills.

'Try it now?' We are certainly in shadow, for twilight has come and – except for orange-tinged treetops to the east – the whole lake is shaded. Carefully balancing in the middle of the boat, I concentrate on my much-practiced new skill and take a step. Shadow Step failure There are no shadows distinct enough to travel through. Settling back down, I shake my head and explain the system message. For a short interval, we stay quiet on the boat.

I listen to the evening calls of nightingales, look at the circles that form on the water as insects land or the even larger circles as a fish lunges from the dark, mouth first, for an evening snack. It excites me that we are this close to another dragon's tooth. Yet I feel frustration too. Then Aarax says, 'I think I have the answer. We come back at night with a lamp and a tall stick. The lamp beam might be strong enough to cast a distinct shadow from the stick to the island.'

'That's it! That's a great idea Aarax. We can make a shadow long enough from here,' Belle's enthusiastic voice drops an octave.

'But let's go out quietly ourselves and not tell Amaris about Crow's new skill. Amaris is becoming angrier and angrier. I think he's realising that Crow is much more likely to complete the quest before he does. And I fear what he might do.' Clever Aarax. I am filled with energy and wish to leap about but must continue to sit. At least I can paddle with purpose, helping bring the canoe back to shore where the others are watching us.

'No good,' says Belle as we reach shore.

'What did you expect?' Amaris is scornful.

'That it was a bluff and there were no defences?' While Lady Horsta frowns at the assassin's tone, from his grin, Gerard finds the remark amusing. That night we camp at the lakeside and I ensure that Belle is on the same watch as me. When our turn comes we wait about an hour and then Belle takes my hand and we use Stealth to quietly leave the camp, bringing with us a lantern and a sturdy stick chosen from the many available on the forest floor.

'Should we wake Aarax?' whispers Belle.

'You and I can quietly creep; best to leave him to his sleep.' Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. We cannot, however, avoid a certain amount of scraping sounds as we push the canoe out into the black water. Then we are on our midnight adventure, Belle and I.

A sky almost entirely covered in cloud means that it is very dark, the campfire a real beacon and, as we recede from it, an orange star more vivid than any of those above in the few areas of night sky where the clouds have parted.

Two Crows are in the boat: one is alert, anxious, wondering might the lake contain monsters, hearing the cries of the owls as sinister; the other is happy, appreciative that Belle is beside him, thinking of how far they have travelled together, enjoying their comradeship, hearing the cries of the owls as a new experience to be relished. It is as the second, more content, Crow I cease to paddle once our lantern beam makes the rock and dragon's tooth ahead of us shine like silver and bronze.

We back-paddle until the canoe is at rest. Then, Belle holds the stick in front of the lantern, it casts a very distinct shadow onto the small island.

'Will that work?' she asks me. Standing in the canoe is not easy and as our craft rocks, the shadow swings wildly. Several minutes pass until I am steady, with the black line of the stick's shadow where we want it to be, and I can Shadow Step – with barely enough room at the front of the canoe to avoid falling into the lake should I fail – onto the thin shadow from our stick. And out of it onto the rocky island. There is no reaction from the magic that protects the island. All remains still, dark, and quiet.

This is no time for a Crow dance, for a shout of victory, even for a triumphant wave to Belle. No, I simply grab the tooth and Shadow Step back into the canoe. You have completed a stage of the Epic Draco Missio You have gained 1, 000 EXP Dragon's Tooth of Sartas A long, ivory fang, this tooth radiates magic. This item can be soulbound. Do you wish to bind it to your soul? This item is unique. YES / NO Soulbinding If an item is soulbound, it moves into an extra-dimensional inventory and cannot be removed from you.

This also means it cannot be traded or given to another. Unique You may only possess one of these items. Of course I choose YES.

'Well done Crow! That's five!' From my grin, as well as the absence of the tooth from its spawn point, Belle must know I have taken another step towards completing the quest. Our eyes speaking for our silent mouths, we celebrate the achievement with delight and happiness for a several minutes, before settling down to paddle back to the camp. I try to place my wooden blade in the water and push it without a sound, not always succeeding. There must be a large penalty to Stealth checks in this circumstance.

At the lakeshore, Amaris waits for us, squatting and tense, like a snake. My delight in our success is immediately forgotten. Now that I see him, I realise that I knew all along we would not deceive the assassin. That it was inevitable he would be here, in the dark, angry.

'You got the tooth,' he says, not moving to help as we jump out and haul up the canoe.

'Crow got it, yes,' Belle replies.

'Why the secrecy?'

'We didn't want Corwena to know.' This is a good answer and I admire Belle for it; a good enough answer to satisfy the assassin?

'I see.' No, not good enough. I can hear the disbelief in his flat voice. Amaris stands now, arms folded.

'And how did you get past the winds?'

'You know Crow can Blink,' Belle does not look at the inferni, putting the oars carefully back in the canoe.

'We hoped that out on the lake, although random, the Blink would not drop him in the water but land him on the only secure spot nearby.' Again I am impressed by how easily Belle can make up plausible lies, this time her response seems effective. Amaris says, 'Lucky for you Crow. Once again you have a dragon's tooth and I do not. Did you soulbind it yet?' He only has to look at me to know.

'Of course you did.' Never has an eagle glared with such intensity at its prey as the inferni stares at me. Such hostility and such hatred is in his expression that it ought to be unbearable. Yet I am Lord Scrithax's finest fellow and I do not flinch.

'You people from Nekis think I'm a fool!' After this shout echoes around the lake, there are cries of birds from all around the water and even more urgent noises from the tents behind me.

'What's going on?' I hear Lady Horsta's voice, but I do not take my eyes from the assassin.

'Crow got the Dragon's Tooth. He tried to do it without my knowing. And he soul-bound it, so now he can't get another one for me. These undead-lovers are using me. Using my six levels. They have no intention of helping me.'

'Have you got the tooth?' asks Lady Horsta. The others are awake too. I nod.

'Were you trying to hide that from us?' I nod again.

'I should kill you all now,' says Amaris 'You know I can.' He moves his hands to his weapons.

'You're no match for me. Not even combined.' At the same time, Lady Horsta sounds disappointed.

'That's not very honourable; Crow, an alliance is an alliance.' Instinctively, I want to justify my actions by expressing my certainty that Amaris intends to kill me one day, when the prospect of my completing the quest ahead of him is evident. From Lady Horsta's point of view, though, an alliance is indeed an alliance.

'I apologise. I should have obtained one for Amaris. I will do so next time. I will learn from this.'

'Calm yourself, Amaris.' Lady Horsta pushes past me.

'Crow will make amends and help you to obtain other dragon's teeth that you can't obtain alone.'

'Will he though?' the inferni's words blur into a hiss.

'Let's go back to our tents. Why don't we all go back to our tents?' Gerard looks from Amaris to me and back. Spittle from the assassin lands near me. And then he walks away without another word into the dark of the forest. As the rest of us walk back towards the fire, I examine my feelings. Accompanying Amaris on this quest is becoming unbearable. Perhaps dangerous too. Do we still need him? A level six character is certainly powerful.

My calculating mind says to persist with him, that he might yet prove invaluable. My heart screams at me to get away from him, as though I was under the shadow of a raptor.