he was just about to claim victory over Shrad in their game of bones when suddenly, that vicious, little dwarf that had delivered the swords was standing behind him with an axe, and Osric’s big friend appeared next to the entrance, knocked Eric unconscious, and came up behind Shrad with his sword drawn. Shrad swore that he saw Osric grab Asram on top of the guard tower, disappear, and then reappear on the volcano floor. Asram was unconscious, and Osric pulled his sword from the dying body of one of the guards. Shrad wasn’t sure, but he thought that the sword had just appeared in the man’s chest the way the men had appeared among them. “Ridiculous!”
Thom shook his head in disbelief as he walked. The tales the men told were unbelievable, but Thom had fought the dwarf, Machai, and his speed was undeniable. No man had ever bested Thom as easily and quickly as Machai had, so he could see why someone would think he just appeared out of thin air. However, the idea that Osric had somehow transported himself and Asram from the guard tower to the floor was absurd. No magic could do that. Thom wondered if there was a simple explanation for it all. He suspected that russet haired maiden had spelled them all and they hallucinated the whole thing. Landin said he and Palin had come running when they heard the alarm from within the volcano, and she was just standing near the entrance talking to a prairie dog pup. The dragon that guarded the entrance was nowhere to be seen, and when she reached for something in her belt, Landin pulled his wand and immobilized her, taking them both hostage. It had given Aron’s men the upper hand until those filthy eagles flew in with the dragon and saved Machai’s head. Thom smiled to think of all their heads lined up on pikes outside the volcano. Someday, he intended to see it.
As the dim light under the canopy of trees waned, Thom retraced his steps along the path to check his snares. He had placed six in total as he walked along the trail through the forest. The last snare he had placed was empty, and the berries on either side were undisturbed. He decided to leave it set and they could check it again in the morning. As he came upon the next snare, he grinned at his luck and quickened his step. A small rabbit was straining at the noose, eyes wide and muscles trembling, struggling to breathe. Thom picked up a heavy limb from the underbrush near the trail. He poked the rabbit and sent it skittering away from him as far as it was able while restrained by the vine. For a brief moment, Thom thought he heard a man call out, but the sound was faint and distant, and more than likely just the wind in the trees. With a quick jab, Thom cracked the skull of the rabbit with the end of the branch and gathered the small, limp body from the snare. He smiled and hummed quietly as he continued back up the trail.
Thom’s grin faded and he fell silent as he approached the next snare. Something wasn’t quite right about the scene. His vine was still tied to the low branch above the path, but the noose looked as though it had been untied. The loose end of the vine was lying on the path, and the leaves he had dropped were stacked in a neat pile next to it. Thom stopped, looking into the forest on both sides of the path and listening for any strange sounds. He heard and saw nothing, but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. The other guards wouldn’t have done something like that. Either there was someone else nearby, or that part of the forest was infested with tree sprites. Thom hated tree sprites. He scattered the leaves with his boot and hurried on to the next snare.
At first, Thom thought the next one was dismantled as well, but on closer inspection he discovered the vine had been chewed through. He had caught something, but whatever it was had gotten away. He grew suspicious again as he approached the second snare he had set. The noose was hanging from the limb, but the leaves he had scattered were gone. There were no markings in the dirt to indicate what had eaten them, and as