Fay Tale - Chapter Twenty-Eight

Two days later Maidd found himself standing off to the side of a small group of milling horses and nobility, silently cursing all his ancestors.

The hunting itself didn’t bother Maidd. An ogre that couldn’t hunt didn’t eat. And an ogre that didn’t eat was soon dead. But there was a distinctive thrum of human menace in the hunting party which was directed at him. Maidd would have been happy to have a nice, sturdy tree to put his back against.

Unfortunately, all were gathered on the large, newly mown turf which would’ve put even Lily at a hardship to hide in. About 500 spans away lay the forest they were supposed to hunt inside. Except this forest looked so…orderly. Human-made. But the trees inside were huge. It must’ve been seeded long before the current owner was alive.

Maidd shuddered at the thought of trying to run and hide in a forest deliberately built to make that impossible.

I’m going to kill Zara, Maidd decided. I’m going to hang him over the parapet by his hair for some hungry ghost. And I’ll hang Bremen up by his tail right next to him so they can argue each other into insanity. Then I’m going to kill myself for being so criminally stupid and-

“My my the forest seems to have developed a foul smell,” one noblewoman commented loudly, seeming to no one in particular. It was clear to everyone gathered to whom she referred as she stared directly at Maidd.

“Bringing an animal on a Hunt is certainly in poor taste,” another agreed slyly.

“Who invited such a thing? Here of all places?” demanded one nobleman quite as if Maidd wasn’t standing six spans away. Perhaps in addition to smelling bad, he was also hard of hearing.

If this goes on I may lose my sense of sight and touch as well, Maidd thought dryly.

“It’s a mystery certainly. He did have an invitation though. I saw it myself as we came in.”

“Someone wants to cause a stir.”

“Or play a practical joke.”

Maidd ignored the titters of laughter, but he paid close attention to one of the noblewomen with a particularly nasty gleam in her eye. The horse she rode which was more closely related to a battlemount than a hunter shared that gleam, tossing its head and rolling wide brown eyes as if it’d like to get a bite of ogre flesh.

Before the murderous pair could close in on him, a delicate white mare pranced between them.

“Dear, I’m so glad you could make it. Was the wait very terrible?” Zara said, smiling seductively up at the ogre. “I would have been here sooner, but there were a few unexpected tears in my riding habit from that egregious feline.”

“The royal feline is very egregious,” Maidd said with relief.  

When the silence stretched on, he glanced around and realized everyone was suddenly staring at them with their best, noble impersonation of flytraps. For once, Maidd was fairly certain it wasn’t the courtesan’s beauty that caused it.

“I see you’ve already become acquainted with the Royal Protector, the Guardian Maidd, my lady,” Zara said, turning an impish smile to the nearby noblewoman. He had to look up to meet the gaze of Maidd’s erstwhile murderer who sat easily astride the massive horse. Zara’s dainty white mare was several handspans shorter.

“I-I have,” she managed to stutter out.

The stallion took advantage of her distraction to cause a full-blown tantrum, and she gladly turned her attention to calming him. Zara’s mare edged sideways, shoving unhappily into the ogre. Maidd quickly sidestepped to avoid whatever bite or kick would come next, but Zara’s firm hand on the reins kept the horse from trying either. Instead, they shimmied in that manner into a suddenly clear circle.

How nice it must be to actually be liked, Maidd thought sourly.

“My lord Zara, please introduce me to your newest acquaintance,” a nearby nobleman simpered. He was, in fact, one of the ones who had been staring at Maidd with undisguised loathing only moments ago. Maidd remembered him from the day he’d been introduced to the court. He’d

“Of course my dear. I would be delighted,” Zara replied. “Guardian Maidd, this is Lord Penar. A great admirer of mine.”

“Anyone would be a greater admirer of such unparalleled beauty,” the man insisted gallantly, bowing over Zara’s hand.

“We’ve met before. I never had the chance to thank him for his kind words of support before the court.”

The nobleman looked up from the hand he’d been kissing to find the ogre baring his teeth in what was the only a faint resemblance to a smile. Maidd enjoyed the sudden loss of color in Lord Penar’s face. Zara, meanwhile, seemed completely unaware of the tête-à-tête as he happily chatted and flirted with the pale-faced man until the sudden brass blare of a horn caught everyone’s attention.

A short woman with the lungs that must have been inherited from a bullfrog stepped forward and announced, “To our most illustrious guests, Her Grace Lady Giselle of Dubek extends her warmest welcome and desire that all and sundry enjoy themselves in pursuit of these most fiendishly clever foes. Prizes for the top three hunters will be presented at the end. Please recall that arrows, swords, and spears are to be directed at the dubeks only.”

I’m so sorry, Royal Courtesan, Maidd mocked inwardly. I didn’t mean to stab the ogre through the heart. I thought he was one of the trees. He was certainly big enough.

“May the most skilled win!”

There was another series of horn blats and several large wagons shuddered forward. Maidd could smell the fear and sweat from the creatures within they were covered from sight with heavy cloth. He wondered they didn’t expire on the spot between the fear and the heat.

“They are dubeks,” Zara murmured. The courtesan understood the sensitivity of his hearing just fine because the words could only be heard by Maidd himself. “This manor was founded on capturing and supplying them for the nobility to hunt for sport. They’re bred elsewhere on the estate these days then rounded up a few candlemarks before the hunt to keep them in prime condition for fight.”

“Flight?”

“Fight. They are carnivorous when pressed.”

“Why aren’t they eating each other then?”

“They are herd animals,” Zara explained, “not true predators. They only attack when the herd is threatened.”

“And people like this?”

Zara settled a delicate hand on Maidd’s massive arm as the wagons creaked to a stop. Servants, all in armor, milled around in efficient lines as they prepared to open the wagons up.

“You have lived your life fighting, dear. These of the nobility and the highly wealthy find this brings a bit of spice into their life. It is actually considered a mark of great bravery to participate in a dubek hunt.”

“Sounds like a good way to accidentally get rid of a rival.”

Zara’s lips tilted up.

“It most certainly is. But fortunately these grounds don’t allow much opportunity for planned ambush. Accidents do happen though.”

“I’m not particularly worried.”

“No, I imagine you wouldn’t be.”

Maidd didn’t respond. Instead, choosing to squint down at the hand that was now stroking along his bicep. Zara smiled with unrepressed charm before guiding his mare away with a few skilled nudges. The other nobility and their guests had also begun to form a ragged line a little behind the wagons. Just in time it seemed for with a mighty shout several servants shoved the bolts back from the rear of the wagons. They fell with heavy thuds to the turf as the servants quickly backed out of range.

An instant later dozens of elk-like creatures burst from the interiors. If elk had fangs and front claws that is. Maidd also made note of the antlers, which were clearly venomous.

It took only a handful of moments for the wagons to disgorge their contents into the forest. The moment the last mottled brown rump charged beneath the tree canopy, one long, piercing blast of the trumpet sang out.

At the signal the ragged line of hunters sprang into action. There were shouts of encouragement and curses as one rival got the jump on another. Then they too were beneath the tree canopy surging after the fleeing dubek.

Maidd watched the nobility spur down the wide lanes between the great trees and tried to hold back the shock that such a thing would happen to a well-loved ogre.

Sighing deeply he started walking after the rush of nobility. He was in no hurry to catch up, and, given the large trees and general lack of underbrush it was easy to see where everyone was within at least a thousand spans

At least you won’t have to worry about an ambush, ogre, Maidd thought grimly.

He wandered around for about half-a-mark, avoiding groups when he could. Maidd ran into a group of three dubek, but after a moment of silently sizing each other up, the creatures dashed away again.

It was actually rather pleasant under the shade of the enormous trees. The ground between the behemoths was covered in a soft, springy moss. Shafts of light filtered through the heavy canopy above. Rather picturesque if one could ignore the hoarse shouting, twang of bows, and occasional scream as something was hit.

Maidd grinned crookedly. Maybe only an ogre would consider that picturesque.

With an effort he pushed the memories of half-melted bodies and their sobbing relations out of his head just in time to nearly jump out of his skin as albino deer stepped around the tree in front of him. The creature’s magic slapped him in the face as he backpedaled quickly. He didn’t reach for his weapon. Not yet.

“Greetings forest lady,” he said cautiously.

The deer responded with vacant contemplation in her dark eyes, seeming more focused on chewing her mouthful of clover. Maidd decided she was magical but not sentient and relaxed his guard. Slightly.

“What are you doing out here with a hunt going on, lady?” he sighed. “That’s pretty poor timing on your part.”

She didn’t seem bothered, simply took a step closer.

In the space of a few seconds, Maidd pivoted to one side, loosened the staff on his back, and hurled in the deer’s direction. It sailed mere fingerspans over the large ears and buried itself into the ground next to a young nobleman. The arrow he held dropped from the raised bow, his fingers suddenly too numb with fear to hold the shaft.

“We’re hunting dubek today,” the ogre said calmly. “Does this look like a dubek to you?”

One glance at the staff buried deep in the earth in front of him told the young man the correct answer. Shakily the human managed to turn and sprint away as fast as his two spindly legs could carry him.

Maidd sighed deeply.

“There’s going to be rumors now,” the ogre grumbled to the deer. “The dangerous ogre tried to spit and roast a noble! Let’s roast him! Death to all ogres!”

Maidd sighed again then stomped past the animal and went to retrieve his weapon. He tugged it out of the earth and sighed in relief when it came out in one piece. When he turned back around, he nearly left his skin again at finding the deer right behind him.

“Meziroth’s stones, forest lady! Don’t you know not to sneak up on an ogre?”

Apparently not because it stepped closer, the same placid, trusting look in its eyes. Maidd took a nice, ogre-sized step back, wary of the gathering magical energy the creature was producing. A lot of magic either didn’t work on him quite like it was supposed to, but it never hurt to play it safe with an unfamiliar magical creature.

Maidd took another step back. The deer followed him sedately, completely unaware of the ogre’s concern.

“Why are you following me? I’m a big, nasty ogre. I don’t taste good and apparently I don’t smell good either so there’s no reason to-”

Maidd yelped as his foot caught on a root, and he went sprawling. The sudden collapse of a very large body didn’t seem to bother the deer in the slightest. She took advantage of the now wheezing ogre’s inattention by stepping closer and nudging one boot with her muzzle.

Maidd gasped as magic suddenly flooded his mind. The sound of a horn blasted in his ears. Dubeks dodged the gigantic trees and charged a young nobleman. He fumbled in arrow at his bowstring and dropped it. Before he could nock another they were on him. Maidd could see the terror in the man’s grey eyes just before one of the dubek gored him. Maidd’s ears rang with the dying scream of the human before the vision faded to darkness.