190) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 25 -- Frogs

        They stumbled half-heartedly back to the pit where they’d left the remainder of their supplies, each person lost in thoughts so markedly different from the bold and adventurous hubris of, could it be that same morning? A lifetime had passed that day.

         They picked up their gear in silence, adjusting their packs, strapping on their weapons. Gorb passed around hunks of bread. Everybody took one, but nobody took a bite.

         Dominic unlatched Arrowhead’s carrying case and let the snake slither up his leg and onto his upper torso, wrapping around his shoulders in their familiar hiking-hold. The snake was stressed, Dom knew, and in ways too subtle to be detectable by the others, he soothed his friend, letting him know that they were ok, everybody was ok and they were going to be moving on now, away from this nasty place.

         Arrowhead seemed to hold him a little more tightly than usual.  

         “Where do we go now?” Dominic asked nobody in particular.

         “We follow him, the Hooded Man,” Devona replied, quietly but without hesitation. It was the first thing she’d said since leaving the cave. “We didn’t go through all that for nothing.”

         Nobody argued.

         Dominic picked up the trail. Within half an hour, they hit the edge of the Great Swamp, the border outlined by a clear demarcation where trees and plants and grasses turned into muck and green patches that looked suspiciously like you shouldn’t step on them. Dead trees dripped with moss, and everywhere, mounds of vegetation floated on the swamp scum, like weedy boats.

         Gorb pointed at the mounds. “Dose’r s’pposed t’be de bodies o’ de dead.”

         Kohra felt a shiver run up her spine as she looked through the misty gloom at the mounds spotting the swamp in all directions.

         “They are supposed to be, but they are not!” responded Lenny, as bright as ever. “The actual dead bodies are now rotten into lots and lots of pieces, and scattered, EVERYWHERE!!” She splayed her fingers into the air, wiggling them.

         Gorb muttered in Klliik. It sounded suspiciously like a curse.

         “Logic.” Lenny rolled her eyes, then bent down, plucking a bit of swamp grass and using it to pick between her teeth. “And it’s a lot less spoooooky than thinking that each and every one of those mounds is a zombie about to…grab you!!”

         She jumped at Reilly, who yelped, and giggled, then giggled even louder when the cat snarled at Lenny, who jumped in genuine fright, falling over backwards, butt-first into the mud.

         Kohra looked over at Devona, wondering how she might be affected by things like people suddenly jumping and yelling, snarling, maybe even laughter. She knew she was being a bit conspicuous, but she kept looking anyway, secretly but not-so-secretly hoping that Dev would glance over, acknowledge her, make contact in some way. But her friend was blank, evincing nothing to indicate she had heard Lenny’s jokes, Reilly’s laughter, or even the snarling cat. She certainly didn’t seem to be aware of Kohra. 

         “His trail heads straight in.” Dominic pointed forward, then looked up at the sky. “We have maybe four hours before we lose the light entirely.”

         Gorb hung his head a little lower, but nobody noticed.

         Dominic pointed to the side. “Hmmm, interesting. There are two paths here. This fresh one we’re following, but then there’s this other trail. See it? It’s…it hasn’t been used in a while, but look, you can see how the whole pattern of plant growth changed around here. See?” He pointed at one part of the forest, and then another, and indeed, there was a marked difference in the vegetation.

         He grinned. “This is an old trail. It must go somewhere. I’m guessing the Hooded Guy goes into the swamp to do whatever he does in there, and then leaves by this trail. Gorb, how often does he make this journey, as far as you know?”

         “’Bout everrry t’rrrree, four months.”

         Dominic thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes! This is probably his exit path, untravelled for the last few months!”

         “So what do you think?” Kohra asked, pointing toward the new path. “Instead of just following him, we could get ahead of him? Follow this old trail and see where he goes from here?”

         Dominic nodded. “That would be far safer than going into the swamp.”

         “We don’t even know if you’re right,” Lenny pointed out. “I mean, it’s a great guess, don’t get me wrong.”

         “We’re following him,” Devona said flatly, like there was no possible debate. In truth, she hoped they did find him somewhere in this Gods-forsaken swamp. She wanted to kill him. 

         Dominic hesitated. “Are you sure? I mean, swamps are dangerous. We don’t have a lot of light left. And seriously, what if we find him, way out here? We can’t exactly run away.” He met Devona’s hard gaze. “I’m sorry Dev. I think maybe we’re in over our heads.” He looked to the others, hoping for support. His Ranger-in-training intuition was signaling “danger” loud and clear.

         Devona loaded and cocked her crossbow. “I’m going.” She started walking into the swamp, but Dominic frantically jumped in front of her.

         “Whoa!! I’ll lead, it’s okay. I just thought, we should, we should think about it for a second. But no problem, let’s just do this right, okay?” The others loaded their crossbows as well, Gorb hefted his war-hammer and Lenny her club and rock, and they filed in behind Dominic in a ragged line. “Now seriously, pay attention in here. And no noise! Follow my trail. Don’t step even one single step off it. Understand?”

         There was a chorus of agreement, and he started forward again, the others following carefully behind.

         Whatever it was, a sound, a feeling, just a lucky guess, he turned back a moment later, and everybody froze, including Lenny who was already at least five steps off the path, examining some orange-yellow mushrooms growing out of a mossy log.

         “Lenny!” he hissed. “I’m not kidding! You’re going to get yourself killed, and probably the rest of us trying to rescue you!”

         For once, Lenny seemed contrite, jumping back into the line.

         Dominic addressed them sternly, his frustration leading him to tap into his usually-suppressed assertiveness. Unsmiling, he cast a pointed look at Lenny, and then Gorb. “Look, I’m giving us two hours, tops, and then we high-tail it out of here. Even that’s pushing it. So, that’s the way it’s going to be.”

         He didn’t wait for a reply before starting forward again, with Devona following step-by-step. Reilly was next, still riding the cat. She looked decidedly cocky, Kohra thought. Then again, an 8 year-old riding a giant wildcat? She deserved to feel a little cocky.      

         Kohra decided to take up rear guard. Gorb was in no state to be paying attention, and Lenny should never be rear guard.

         They walked forward silently, the gloom seeping into their thoughts. It became progressively harder not to believe that the eerily floating mounds were the bodies of dead soldiers. The air grew wetter and heavier, tree skeletons littering the landscape, becoming bare poles as they went further, and then mere humps in a drooping rot of moss and scummy water, surrounding them in all directions, as far as any of them could see through the shifting mists.

         “HALT! OR YOUR LIVES BE FORFEIT!” a deep, croaky voice boomed out of the fog. They stopped immediately, weapons up, squinting towards the direction of the voice. But there was nobody there.

         Then they looked down.

         Two frogs, the size of large rabbits, stood on their hind legs on the path in front of them, holding spears in a manner so haughty there could be no mistaking their attitudes. They wore sashes of twisted vines wrapped diagonally around their dull-green, rubbery bodies, and carried simple wooden shields, which were painted with a bright green symbol that vaguely resembled — a frog?

         They all trained weapons on the two frogs, Big Kitty growling, towering over everyone. The frogs, clearly outnumbered, stared implacably, planting their spears authoritatively on the ground as if to say, “You shall not pass.”

         For several long seconds, nothing happened, except slowly, one of the frog’s throat sacks expanded, and expanded…and expanded, into quite a sizable balloon. Everyone watched, transfixed and, basically, confused. 

         The same deep voice boomed out from that frog’s throat, even more haughty and menacing than before. “BY THE HARMONY, THESE ARE HOLY LANDS….” (There was a long, awkward pause while the frog’s throat sack re-expanded). “THE EMPIRE OF SONG, THE FIELDS OF FEASTING! AND YOU” — (another long pause) — “WALKING HAIR-WORMS, CLOSE-EYED DIRT EATERS” — (another pause) — “YOUR PRESENCE IN THIS BLESSED REALM IS AN ABOMINATION!” — (Another pause; Kohra looked around to see what everyone was doing; Gorb, Reilly, and Dominic were all identically paralyzed with a weird admixture of awe and confusion on their faces; Lenny was trying hard not to laugh; Devona was simply blank, as if she didn’t even care. “YOU MAY PROCEED NO FURTHER UNLESS YOU ARE GIVEN AN OFFICIAL PARDON” — (another pause) — “FOR YOUR CRIME OF TRESPASSING.”

         The second frog-guard thumped (or rather, squished) his spear into the ground, as if to say, “So there!”

         There was another long pause while the speaker re-inflated.

         Dominic took advantage of the pause. “Uh, excuse me, we —” but he was interrupted by the booming command, “LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS OR FORFEIT YOUR LIVES!”

         He kept his eyes on the frogs, his arrow trained on the orator’s chest. “Uh, guys?”

         Gorb spoke from behind the cat. “Forrgive us, good frrrogs. We mean no disrrrespect t’ye. We’rrre simple trrravelers. Please, may we pass t’rrrough yer lands?”

         The frogs’ eyes bulged, glistening gooily as they looked at the strange intruders.

         The speaking frog began to re-inflate. These hair-worms, for all of their apparent intelligence, do not seem to understand basic instructions.

          “ SURRENDER. THE MAGNIFICENT SHALL DECIDE YOUR FATES.”

         Surely, the hair-worms will understand now.

         Dominic chanced to look back at the others, although he could only see Devona and Reilly, the cat blocking the rest of his view. Devona shook her head, jaw set, crossbow fixed on the frogs. Turning forward again, he tried to adopt a threatening tone (which wasn’t exactly Dominic’s strong point). “Look, nobody has to get hurt, but we’re not going —”

         That was as far as he got before a profound CRRROOAAAKKK emanated operatically from the frog, immediately followed by a chorus of croaking rising up all around them in a sea of angry frog-song. Four little spears came hurtling out of the mist, followed by a platoon of warrior-frogs.

         “Attack!!” Dominic yelled, and a moment later, his arrow pierced the throat of the ever-so-eloquent speaker. The cat leapt forward, crunching the other guard-frog in its jaws, massive paws slamming two spear-throwers into the muck. Cold-blasts from Lenny froze two others on the spot, while Gorb hammered one in the gut, launching it in a high arc back into the swamp. Kohra and Dev fired at two others, but missed.

         More spears, and frogs, streaked toward them, Lenny cursing as a spear grazed her shoulder, blasting FrostBolts in retort.

         The croaking built to a frenzy, rolling through the bog like high-pitched thunder.

         “There are too many!” Kohra shouted over the din. “Run!!”

         They turned and ran, Kohra unexpectedly in the lead now, desperately trying to find the trail they had followed, trying to look out for spears, trying not to slip, trying to run for her life, trying, trying….

         She panicked. Flat-out freaked out. That panic like when you’re walking in the dark and your imagination is playing tricks on you, and you are afraid that the Thing is behind you, stalking you, somewhere unseen, coming up behind you, racing toward you from the dark, racing across the ground far faster than you can run, and you’re trying to get to your house and you’re almost safe, you’re almost there, but you know It is coming, the Thing is coming for you, and you’re reaching for the door, and you’re almost there but it’s right behind you and AAAAAHHHHH!!!

         Lenny saved her, grabbing the hood of her cloak and hauling her back, just as Kohra was about to step into a pool of scum, then leaping ahead of her like a gazelle. “Follow me!”

         In the rear, Dominic could tell they weren’t going to make it. He was taking frogs out as fast as he could, but they were advancing in endless hopping waves, spear-tips bouncing madly as the waves rippled forward. He fired as he ran, arrow after arrow, but he could barely slow them down.

         The cat leapt over his head, landing directly on top of a charging phalanx, their little rubbery legs splayed out beneath its furry paws. Reilly half-stood on top of its mane, fist in the air, shrieking “Rrrrraaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr!” and the great beast echoed her, its full-throated roar blasting through the swamp. The frogs scattered, diving into the muck on either side. There was a momentary silence, but only momentary before the chorus started up again.

         In those few seconds, Dominic dumped all his flasks of oil onto the trail, sparking them into flame. Maybe that would slow them down?

         Then he sprinted after the others as the croaking quickly swelled.

         Reilly and the cat held the path as long as they could, stemming the rising tide while Dominic pelted after the others as fast as the mucky ground would let him. The others had stalled, realizing they couldn’t find the path, and he caught up to them quickly, his eyes scanning frantically for evidence of their prior passage. But there was no path to be found. They seemed to have gotten off course. The croaking crescendoed into an endless thunder. There was certainly no turning back. “Follow me!” he shouted, rushing forward on sheer intuition.

         Far behind him, Reilly was still screeching, “YYYYaaaaaaahhhhhhH!!!!” as Big Kitty crunched and swatted frogs like it was play-time. But the waves were endless; they had to flee.

         The cat turned and leapt back over the flames, just as several spears shot through where it had been standing. Frogs poured through Dominic’s fire barrier like a river plowing through a candle.

         Nevertheless, Reilly and Big Kitty had bought them enough time, and with Dominic’s sharp eyes picking out a return path, they made it, sprinting through the gloom, gasping, legs burning, stumbling, getting up and sprinting more, while the entire swamp behind them swelled into a tidal wave of sound.

         Thankfully, once they were back in the forest again and clear of the muck, the frogs didn’t follow. However, the voluminous sonic warning continued long afterward, informing all beings who could hear that this was the Holy Empire of Song, and none were to pass, if not approved by The Magnificent.

         Staggering and gasping after their marathon sprint, they dug even deeper, finding the strength to keep going, keep moving, get some distance from the frogs. Finally, when Kohra felt sure her leaden legs would not take another step, Dominic called for a rest. Everybody collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, except Reilly who energetically jumped down from the cat’s neck where she’d ridden the entire way. The little girl’s eyes shone with battle-lust. “Yeahhh! We kicked their butts!”

         Kohra wasn’t sure that “running for our lives” was synonymous with “kicking their butts,” but decided not to say anything. Just let the girl be happy. Besides, too…tired…to care….

         Gorb groaned. “Ohhhhh, Klliik weren’t built fer rrrunnin’, I tell ye….”

         After a couple of too-short minutes, Dominic reached down and pulled him up. “C’mon old man. Daylight’s fading; we’ve got less than half an hour, and we need to get further from this swamp before dark. You might not have realized it while we were running, but I took us onto that second trail. You know, the old one that hasn’t been used in a while? As far as I can tell, it’s taking us in the direction of Annuvin. I say we keep going, until the light leaves us completely.”

         The old LightSinger nodded heavily, his face impossible to read.

         They continued along the trail as quickly as they could in the waning light, Kohra holding Devona’s hand as they walked into the growing darkness together. Dev seemed to appreciate it, or at least, didn’t pull away.