Forbidden Quest Part 2

"Why didn't Dr. Strong bring her out of it?" Sarah asked kneeling down to check Nicole's vitals. "He said he would bring us back if anything went wrong. She's still breathing, but her heart is racing."

"Maybe this is an expected reaction." Jack offered. "Some people react badly to drugs. Maybe that sedative didn't sit right and gave her some kind of a bad trip."

"Or maybe she just reacts badly to hypnotism and Dr. Strong had to let her ride out the storm." Hopper added.

"That's absurd." Sarah answered, annoyed at their ridiculous explanations. "Dr. Strong's a professional. He said it was mild."

"We're only trying to help." Hopper said reaching out to touch Sarah's hand then pulling it back quickly remembering his sharp claws.

"l'm sorry, I guess we're all a little upset." Sarah smiled up at them as she grasped Hopper's clawed hand and squeezed it gently.

"Okay then, let's get her out of the sun," Jack said as he scooped up Nicole with surprising ease and carried her into the shadows at the edge of the clearing. He lowered her gently onto the flower speckled gra.s.s then turned to Hopper, "See if you can find a village or cottage nearby. She could use some water . . . or whiskey, I'm not sure which."

Nodding Hopper trotted off into the woods. Nicole stirred and opened her eyes just as he disappeared into the trees. The dark glow had vanished leaving her with eyes the same deep emerald color of the gra.s.s and brush around them.

"Nicole?" Jack whispered leaning forward.

"What happened?" Nicole sat up and rubbed at the ache in her temples.

- "You . . . were hysterical." Jack searched for the right term, "Then you pa.s.sed out. Are you all right?"

"A little tired, but otherwise I'm fine." Nicole sighed feeling as if the weight of the world had somehow lifted itself from her shoulders. Her carefree smile returned as she found great amus.e.m.e.nt in the two concerned faces that stared at her. "Where's Hoppy monster?"

"Todd went to find you something to drink." Sarah frowned at Nicole. "Are you sure you're all right? You're acting strange. Do you feel lightheaded, dizzy or confused?''

"I'm fine, Sarah." Nicole turned to smile at her. "Wow! Look at you! You're gorgeous. Dr. Strong must really have taken a s.h.i.+ne to you. He turned you into a scarlet haired temptress." Nicole winked at the bewildered Sarah then rose onto her knees and reached out to squeeze Jack's muscular upper arm. "The barbarian motif suits you, but the name Jack doesn't fit anymore."

"I'm keeping it." He smiled, relieved she was all right. "Aren't you the least bit angry about being turned into a pointy eared elf instead of a powerful sorceress?" Jack asked. He gently brushed her blue-black hair behind an ear.

"Are they really pointed?" Nicole asked. Touching her ears, she squealed with delight. "This is incredible! They feel so real and I think I can even hear better." A glance down at her vest induced another peal of laughter. She took hold of a breast in each hand and added, "I never dreamed that I'd have such a large set of. . . " She paused, listening. "Hopper's coming back."

Turing the trio looked up the small rise to find Hopper's hulking form trotting toward them. "Nicole, you're awake and smiling." His deep voice caused Nicole to giggle. Taking his offered hand, she jumped up and hugged him.

"Hey, where's your club?" she asked, suddenly turning serious.

"My what?"

"Trolls carry clubs, their choice of weapons." Nicole explained glancing around for a suitable piece of wood.

"Cut it out, Nicole." Sarah snapped. "This is all wrong. What's going on here? What's wrong with you? Where is the old Nicole, the b.i.t.c.h we've all grown to tolerate?" Jack couldn't help but grin at that remark as Sarah continued. "The old Nicole would have given Jack a black eye for even thinking of diving on top of her and rolling around in the gra.s.s. Instead you laughed yourself into a coma that we're just supposed to forget about because you smile and say your fine!"

"There is nothing wrong with me Sarah." Nicole's smile finally vanished.

"All right then, what about Todd? He was suppose to be an elf warrior and he's some kind of monster." Sarah glanced at Todd with a sympathetic frown for a brief moment before continuing. "Nicole, you're the lawyer do something! Threaten to sue Dr. Strong if he doesn't deliver what he promised. This is not the adventure we paid for. If he can't control it I say we call the whole thing off. This is all your fault. We trusted you; you said you checked him out. You said he was completely capable of delivering the type of adventure he advertised."

"Maybe he has," Nicole smiled wickedly at them. "Maybe this is his way of telling us to lighten up. Maybe he went over our profiles last night and decided to make a few changes. After all Jack's personality is completely different from Tom's. Tom is a very serious concentrated individual. Jack is light-hearted and unfocused. Maybe he just shuffled us around a bit to make it more interesting and to teach us a few things about ourselves."

"Oh so now you're telling me this has turned into some sort of self growth bulls.h.i.+t. "Sarah snapped.

"Look at you, Sarah. You're more confident, more in control and you've said more in the last two minutes than I've heard you say in the last five years. The silent wallflower has died."

"And you've had a mental collapse." Sarah retorted, she wasn't about to admit she found herself just as Nicole described.

''The only thing wrong with your theory, Nicole is that Jack didn't change." Hopper stepped in between the women trying to turn the conversation.

"Look, we've only got so much time here. Let's stop the a.n.a.lysis and make the most of it." Jack declared, ending the discussion. "Hopper, what did you find?"

"There's a small village through the woods about a mile from here. It's got a stable and an Inn not much more," Hopper answered, then grinned through a vicious set of fangs.

"How'd you find it so fast?" Jack asked with a quick glance at Nicole, realizing her eyes were tracing the outline of his leathery vest and pants.

"I started jogging. These long legs can cover a mile in record time and I didn't even break a sweat. Maybe being a troll isn't going to be so bad?" Hopper turned to Sarah, "How about a kiss?" She screamed and tried to escape his grasp to no avail.

"Okay you two love birds let's get moving." Jack said heading to follow Nicole who was already eagerly moving up the rise.

Chapter Three.

A large gray hawk kept constant vigil over the small group as they moved through the thick layer of trees and silvery brush toward the village. Two white squirrels hopped from branch to branch, scurrying close to the adventurers before turning to dash back into the brush. A few paces away a large antlered deer boldly stopped to stare as they paused just inside the tree line and examined the small cl.u.s.ter of rustic buildings.

Several small dilapidated cottages lined the arrow dirt road that ran through the center of the tiny village. Each shack consisted of just enough wood and straw to keep a light rain from penetrating the exterior. Across from the tiny homes stood a large hovel which served as the local inn. The two-story wooden structure was in severe disrepair, although apparently still functioned.

"Maybe Hopper should stay out of sight." Jack suggested, hesitantly, "He might draw unwanted attention."

"What about Nicole?" Sarah answered defensively. "I don't see any elves . . ."

"If we spend all our time arguing about what to do we'll never get anything accomplished. I'm going in." Nicole said casually then moved forward swiftly, leaving them all behind.

"Hopper, stay here with Sarah," Jack ordered, as he jumped over a fallen log and dashed after Nicole.

The remnant of a sign hung above the entrance of largest dwelling. The word 'Inn' was crudely scratched on both sides.

"Well, I don't see any 'condemned' notices, so I guess it's safe to enter." Jack grinned wondering what kept the so called 'Inn' from crus.h.i.+ng the small stable next door as it appeared to be leaning on it for support. As they neared, Jack realized the stables were actually in worse repair than the Inn itself. Yet Nicole walked right past the Inn and headed toward the small stables. Moving to the entrance, Nicole smiled in greeting at a filthy young boy dressed in rags and mud. The boy. not more than twelve ignored them and continued to work feverishly sc.r.a.ping muck from the hoof of a white mare.

Jack called to the boy as he came up beside Nicole. "Are you in charge here?"

"Yep." The boy answered without so much as a glance in their direction.

"We're here to . . . well we are suppose to . . ." Jack stumbled, looking for the right words.

"You've got something for us boy." Nicole said. She smiled wickedly and extended her hand toward the child. "We're in a hurry, so let's have it."

"Have what?" The boy dropped the horse's leg and straightened up, staring intently at Nicole.

"You've got our supplies and money boy. Hand them over and be quick about it." Nicole answered, her eyes sparkling in the dim light of the stables. The boy stood unmoving, his eyes wide, mouth agape staring at Nicole.

"We don't want any trouble." Jack added with a smile, stepping in front of Nicole. "We just want what we've got coming." Jack knew those were the wrong words as soon as he told them. He stepped back a pace expecting a gang of cutthroats to jump out of the rafters and 'give it to them'.

"A tall, really old man, dropped off some stuff a while back." The boy glanced at Jack. "If you can tell me what the two looked like that were with him, you can have the it."

"How about a tiny dark-eyed man and a delicious blonde nymph." Jack said with a wink at Nicole.

The boy's eyes narrowed centering back on Nicole. "Elves don't usually work for humans."

"That's none of your concern boy." Nicole snapped with controlled glee. "Now get those supplies."

"And a map." Jack added. He stepped toward the boy to offer a.s.sistance and jerked back after the overwhelming stench of the stables reached him.

"There's horses in the back corral, you should head out there and get what ya need. I'll get your supplies from the Inn Keeper." The boy answered, pointing toward the far end of the stables. "Where's the others? They dead already?"

"They're around." Jack answered. Taking a deep breath he followed Nicole toward the far end of the stables calling after her, "How did you know this was the right place?"

"It's all part of the game. It can't be too difficult right at the start or we'd get discouraged. Besides, how are we going to defend ourselves if we don't have any weapons or get anywhere without horses?"

"Like in a video game. The first thing you do is check your weapons." Jack answered as he shoved open the stable door and rushed outside to take a deep breath of fresh air. The back corral was a large gra.s.sy area containing half a dozen horses of various health and age. The remains of a wooden fence surrounded the small corral. It was just tall and st.u.r.dy enough to discourage the horses from bolting.

"Hopper's going to need a large horse and we should find something mild mannered for Sarah." Jack dictated. He gingerly opened the rickety gate and headed into the corral. "Do you know how to ride?"

"No idea." Nicole answered cheerfully. "But I'm sure I can figure it out." She pushed past him and cooed to a speckled gray stallion. The horse answered with a gentle whinny and trotted over to her. Nicole took hold of its mane, leapt onto its bare back and galloped off across the field.

"The inherent trait stuff at work again." Jack grinned. The same horrible stench from the stables suddenly reappeared. Jack turned around to find the stable boy staring past him at Nicole's retreating form.

"I got your stuff." He announced, his eyes frozen on the beautiful exotic elf. "You have ta find the falls. There's a cave under it that's got what ya need. After that ya head for the valley on the other side of the mountain."

"And then?" Jack backed away, searching casually for breathable air.

"Not for me ta say." The boy never took his eyes from Nicole. "She's a woodland, you know." He whispered, looking at Jack out of the corner of his eyes. Without another word the boy tossed Jack a small a.s.sortment of pouches then darted quickly inside the stables. Glancing briefly at Nicole's retreating form, Jack turned and followed.

"Wait!" He reluctantly entered the stables after the boy, "Is this it?"

"Yeah." The boy replied as he began to scatter straw around an empty stall.

"Where's our weapons?"

"Inn Keeper's got 'em. Says you got to pay."

"I see." Jack frowned, and opened one of the larger pouches. He dumped the contents into his hand and was rewarded with a small pile of gold coins. Four of the other bags contained over a dozen coins each, all gold. The remaining pouch held a small animal pelt with a map scrawled on the soft inside skin. Holding out half a dozen of the coins to the boy, he asked, "Will this be enough?"

"Half a bag's too much, but he's gonna want more." The boy stopped working and Studied him. "Why you askin' me? Ain't you bought weapons afore?"

"I've . . . always made my own." Jack smiled brightly at the disgusting youth and tried to look convincing. Jack glanced back out the door and saw Nicole still galloping around the corral on the speckled gray. "I don't know what's gotten into her." He said as he turned back to the boy. "Tell . . . the elf I've gone to the Inn. And see if you can get her to saddle the horses."

"Them woodlands is wild." The boy looked at him shaking his head.

"Just tell her I'm at the Inn." Jack growled, heading for the front entrance. The boy nodded and glanced nervously toward the back door.

The interior of the Inn reminded Jack of Dr. Strong's Clinic, dark, stuffy and something just didn't smell right. The main room consisted of a scattering of tables made from long wooden planks propped up on what appeared to be tree stumps with smaller versions serving as benches. The tables still held the remains of the previous night. Dirty mugs, dishes and a couple of patrons snored among the clutter.

"Now this is my kind of place, earthy atmosphere and the smell of stale beer." Jack declared as he headed for the bar, shoulders back, puffed chest out in what he thought to be true barbarian style. He was ready for action. "Inn keep, you have my weapons." He announced in a low, snarling whisper.

"Ya ain't gettin' 'em 'till ya pay." Came the reply from a large, fat man standing behind a slightly higher version of the tables that surrounded him. The barkeep leaned over the rotting gray wood of his makes.h.i.+ft bar and scowled openly at Jack. The man was incredibly filthy, his stench surpa.s.sed the stable boys by tenfold. His clothes contained stains on top of stains, which covered his s.h.i.+rt so completely Jack was certain it hadn't begun its service to its husky owner as a darker shade of brown it now appeared.

Jack stopped a few paces short of the bar not wanting to bathe in the stench again. He took several gold coins from one of the bags and tossed them on the counter. Then Jack scowled back at the Inn Keeper. "That should cover it."

"Not hardly." The old man leaned forward.

Jack grinned wickedly realizing he had mistaken the dirt on the old man's head for hair. "I can see we are at an impa.s.se. Perhaps once I examine the goods, I could be persuaded to greater generosity."

"In the storage closet." The man smiled back, revealing a mouthful of black rotted teeth as then motioned toward the far end of the bar.

Jack cringed, he tried to flash an evil smile before he turned and headed toward the small door located deeper into the heart of the tavern.

Nicole galloped to the southern end of the corral, pus.h.i.+ng the speckled stallion to his top speed. As they neared the highest stretch of fence, Nicole leaned forward and whispered to the gentle steed. "Over the wall to freedom my friend." She smiled wickedly, "And l'll take you on a great adventure."

The stallion s.h.i.+vered in response. Surging forward, it cleared the fence. Straining with the effort yet landing silently on the gra.s.s in the meadow beyond. Nicole's shout of praise was cut short as the snorting challenge of a large, black stallion reached her ears. The speckled gray screamed in panic, backing away from the charging beast. Nicole could feel the young stallion's fear as she fought to control him. Rearing in an attempt to free itself of its master the small stallion shot forward trying to race back toward the fence.

Unprepared for the sudden movement, Nicole fell onto the gra.s.s. Rolling with the impact, she arose quickly, effortlessly as the pounding hooves approached quickly. Nicole spun to face the advancing stallion. She thrust out her arms and called to the beast without thinking. "Hold! We mean no challenge!" A small voice inside her screamed in panic as she moved forward trying to place herself between the stallion and its prey. The black beast slowed slightly, then changed directly at Nicole.

Stunned at the immense height and beauty of the animal, Nicole felt no fear. She could only stare in awe. The stallion came to a sudden halt inches before her. It pawed and stomped on the ground as it watched for her response. Standing silently before it, Nicole stared into its dark eyes. ''I know someone who is perfect for you." Nicole whispered reaching out to touch its nose. "You are so much more beautiful than he, more beautiful than any horse I have ever seen."

The stallion allowed her touch and calmed to her soothing voice. "You are magnificent." She continued as she moved closer to stroke the stallion's throat. "This is not the life for you, shut away from the rest of the world. You should be free to wander like the wind." Surprised at her own words, Nicole's smile deepened. "That shall be your name, Wind."

"He ain't part of the deal and he ain't for sale," Came a small voice behind her. Nicole turned to find the stable boy opening a small gate in the fence. She smiled as the speckled gray pushed quickly past him back into the first corral. "I know." She answered, as she met his gaze.

"How?" The boy's eyes narrowed as he closed the gate, defensively placing it between them.

"No one can own the wind." Nicole stated simply. "Look around." The fence that enclosed the large meadow was much taller than the first but just as old and in disrepair. The tree line ran across the length of the corral opposite the stables. "He has allowed you to feed and care for him while he waited for us."

"That so?" The boy grinned shaking his head suspiciously.

"Do you really think this patch of run down fence could hold him?" Nicole answered, casually stroking the mane of the giant steed.

"It has so far." The boy answered defiantly.

"Has it?" Nicole released the stallion. Without a word the black beast turned and headed for the boy. Clutching the fence in alarm, he gasped as the horse crossed the short distance and leapt over his head with ease.

"That's not fair!" He shouted at Nicole. "You told 'em to do that."

"He's been doing it all along." Nicole laughed, "That chubby mare over there is going to give you a beautiful black foal."

"You're a trouble maker!" The boy spat, ducking quickly as the stallion jumped back over the tall fence to stand beside Nicole. "That stallion ain't let a soul near 'em in the last three months! You bewitched 'em! All you woodlands are wild just like the trolls and nymphs! "

"Woodlands?" Nicole frowned.