The Eye of Tanub Read online

  Beside me, Zach doubled over, moaning and stumbling along, and the beasts gained ground.

  “Come on, Zach!” My voice sounded shrill.

  “I… can’t,” he rasped, slowing again.

  And then I stopped, too. Abruptly. Zach crashed into me, pushing me forward a few steps. Not five feet in front of us stood a hilda beast of massive proportions, its beady eyes boring into ours. Spittle flew from its canines as it threw back its head and roared.

  We stood frozen until I grabbed Zach’s arm, dragging him off the path and down the other side of the hill, where it looked much safer. At least for now. There weren’t any beasts down there that I could see.

  Zach protested, yanking on his arm. “We should… probably… stay on the path.” His breath puffed out in short and obviously painful bursts. “It’s not safe… to get off!”

  “I don’t think it’s safe on the path!” I hollered over my shoulder. He was at least three steps behind me when we crashed through the thick foliage, our feet sinking into the spongy soil, and one of my shoes almost ripped off. I managed to pull free at the last second.

  Just as we were about to vault over a log, Zach was jerked back into the air, the powerful claws of a snowy-white hilda beast holding him aloft. Zach hung helplessly, choking and clutching his throat. The beast’s jaws stretched wide. Putrid air erupted from its open maw—and yeah, I was close enough to smell it—its jagged teeth gnashed as it pulled my brother in for the kill.

  I stood there, frozen, my heart racing a million miles an hour. Zach was my only sibling. In that moment, something shifted inside me. He wasn’t just my annoying little brother who bothered me all the time; he was… my brother, gasping for breath, about to leave this world forever in an extremely violent way.

  And I could do nothing but watch.

  I had no ability to fight this monster. No strength, no weapon. An ache grew in my chest, and I found myself sobbing once again, only this time there was no hate in my heart for this crazy kid I’d grown up with. Only something foreign. Something so alien I almost didn’t recognize it. Affection? Love?

  I didn’t have time to even contemplate, because just when I was about to throw my life away for my brother—and you have to realize, all of this happened in a split second—Zach struck out with his hand and rammed his fingers into the animal’s left eye. A warm gel, along with a staring, black eyeball, suctioned to his skin as he pulled away, and goo dripped from his fingers in long tendrils.

  I stared at the mess, feeling my gorge rise. One second later, I felt the hot, acidic contents of my stomach rise up and out of my mouth. I think the same thing happened with Zach, but I tried not to focus on anyone’s puke but my own.

  The maimed, screaming creature dropped Zach and bounded into the trees. Zach fell to the ground with a grunt, but quickly jumped to his feet. He grabbed my hand, and we darted forward, hiding between logs and bushes, behind trees and branches, but wherever we turned, another hilda beast waited. The animals formed a tight circle, strategically closing us in.

  “What do we do?” I asked while hiding behind Zach and holding onto his torn and bloodied shirt.

  He didn’t sugarcoat it at all, which I wish he would have. “We die. ‘Cuz this isn’t like my game at all. I have no armor, no sword and… and…”

  Fear gripped my heart in its icy fist, and I said the first thing that came to my mind. “No courage.” I said it mostly to myself, but he echoed the thought.

  “Yeah.”

  The hilda beasts moved in synchronized precision, working together to trap us. We were easy prey as we turned, trying to keep the beasts at our back. But there were just too many of them, and then something happened that surprised me yet again.

  Zach shrugged me off and held up his fists. “If I’m gonna die, then I’ll do it like a hero in my game!”

  A hilda beast with large, rounded horns lunged at us. Time seemed to slow as its claws reached out, sharp and stained. I stood there quaking, holding my fists up too, but not really intending to use them. I didn’t know how. The most I’d ever done was pinch or pull hair. True girl fighting.

  But Zach. He leaped into the air, swiveled his hips—which by no means is a small feat, because like I said before, he was pretty chunky—and kicked the beast in the face. He’d never done anything like that before—at least that I’d seen. He could hardly run without getting out of breath. And doing what looked like a black-belt karate kick? No way.

  His feet extended in a double roundhouse kick, snapping the hilda beast’s head back. It lost its balance, tripped over an exposed root, and toppled down a shallow incline. A roar of outrage bellowed from its mouth.

  “Where did you learn that?” I shrieked as he grabbed my hand and took off down the path.

  “I don’t know! I’ve never done it before!” But he was flying high as a kite, and he wouldn’t quit talking about it. It blew my mind too. We’d never really been into sports. I’d taken dance for a while, but quit when I was twelve. I should have stayed with it. I think I would have been a great dancer.

  We raced on, ignoring our exhaustion until the hilda beasts fell behind. Their huge, lumbering bodies held no stamina, and they weren’t fast runners. Thank heavens. Because we weren’t either.

  Coming around a bend, we found ourselves on the outskirts of a quaint, little village. And I mean totally cute, with white picket fences, houses with rounded roofs, and people in pioneer clothes. If I didn’t know better, I’d say we’d traveled back in time. That seemed much more likely than being in a computer game.

  We hurried forward and came to a large building with white siding and dark shutters. A sign hung on the front that read, Morgantown Inn.

  “Terratir,” Zach whispered, half in dread, half in amazement. “We’re in the land of Terratir.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t believe it!” Zach exclaimed. “This is my game! Come on.” He hurried past a large mailbox and ran inside the inn. I followed, warier. I wasn’t about to barrel into a strange inn like I lived there.

  The aroma of hot, home-baked bread engulfed me as I entered a wide-open dining room, which had a fire crackling in a huge fireplace. A long counter ran the length of the wall, and a bald-headed man stood behind it, wiping tall glasses. Just like in the movies. I almost expected to see a bunch of cowboys lined up drinking beers and wiping three-inch-long mustaches.

  Zach rushed to the counter, panting and out of breath. “Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.” He stopped in front of the bartender and ordered bread, cheese, and a quart of milk. Not food I would have ordered in a restaurant.

  “Anything else?” the proprietor asked.

  “No thanks.”

  “You gonna pay for that?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Oh.” Zach didn’t have any money. He never had money, but he shoved his fists into his pockets anyway, and brought out a huge handful of gold, silver, and copper coins. He ogled the treasure, and so did I, counting the small fortune.

  “Wow!” he whispered, paying the man. He took his food and sat down at a table by the fire. I sat across from him, staring hard into his eyes, my accusation clear.

  “Where did you get that money?”

  “Who cares?” He took a bite of warm, homemade bread, moaning in delight, completely ignoring me.

  Too hungry to care about his integrity, I asked, “Is that all for you, or are you gonna share?” Granted, I was watching my figure, which meant carbs were definitely out, but the smell of that bread, and the way the butter melted on top… plus I hadn’t eaten hardly anything for breakfast, and honestly, I was starving! I snatched a piece, which melted on my tongue like chocolate. Never had I tasted anything so sweet, so wonderful. I closed my eyes in ecstasy.

  We didn’t sit there long before a hulking giant of a man limped in, his armor dented, his sword dragging by his side. He fell into a chair at a nearby table. A long, fresh gash stretched across his massive chest, bleeding. He grim
aced in pain as he glared at… you guessed it: me.

  Never had I seen eyes so penetrating. Never mind they were the deepest, darkest blue, or ringed with thick, dark lashes that any girl would beg for, or the fact that he was drop-dead gorgeous with all those bulging muscles, but he was looking at me with raw hatred. Like he wanted to kill me. Seriously.

  “Uh… Zach, that man is staring at me,” I whispered, leaning in close, as though he could protect me from this Conan the Barbarian. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Huh? Guys always stare at you, Lauren. Ignore him. I want to finish eating. Besides, everyone here is a good guy.” He continued shoving the warm bread into his mouth, as though savoring every buttery bite. There’s something you should know about Zach. He cannot be parted from his food. And if his bread tasted anything like mine had, he’d soon be a rabid dog if I tried to pull him away.

  “How do you know who’s good or not?” I asked. “He doesn’t look good to me.” I sank lower as the man stood, his muscles rippling.

  He slowly limped toward me, and my throat closed. I could not breathe. I even said a little prayer, begging for a miracle, but the man’s heavy boots just kept pounding on the wooden floor, getting closer and closer.

  The brute eyed me, towering over our table, and placed a heavy hand on my chair. “You should be more careful, girl. You could stir up something dangerous out there.” His eyes closed to slits as his lips pulled back into a snarl. I have to say, I was surprised that his teeth were so white and straight, but it was the long dark hair, wet with sweat at the moment—that I found myself staring at. Never had I met a guy who so totally terrified me, yet made my mouth water so profusely. Never.

  Zach scooted back in his chair, staring up at the muscular stranger. “Dardanos?”

  The man straightened, his jaw muscles flexing as he clenched his teeth. His thick, heavy armor glimmered in the dim firelight.

  “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it!” Zach turned to me, grabbing my sleeve. “This is my toon! Unbelievable!” Suddenly, Zach was yanked from his chair, the front of his shirt knotted in the man’s meaty fist.

  My heart leaped out of my chest, and I found myself jumping up and yanking on the man’s rock-hard arms, coming to my brother’s rescue. I would not freeze up another time. Not if there was anything I could do, and Zach seemed to attract the wrong kind of attention everywhere we went.

  My little hands didn’t seem to faze him at all. He just kept staring down into Zach’s eyes. “Who are you?” he growled.

  “He is my coolest, and highest, character!” Zach yelled down to me, ignoring the man’s question. “He’s a human warrior and super powerful!”

  “I see that,” I said, wanting to shrink back down into my chair. Everyone was watching, including the bald guy at the counter. Never had I felt so small or helpless, or like no one was on my side. I didn’t think anyone would come to our rescue if it came to that. But then the warrior shoved Zach down against the table and turned away in a huff of exasperation.

  Zach pointed excitedly at the swords that hung from the guy’s hips. “See those?” he asked too loudly. “That one is called a stinging needle. It has extra nimbleness and tons of vitality added to it, and the other one there,” he pointed to the other sword, “is a death blade and has added stealth and attack power. I bought them for a thousand gold pieces! It cost me a fortune!” Zach laughed, hysterically, jumping up and down. “This is my game! I knew it!”

  The man turned back around, catching Zach in his beady glare. And just when I’d started to feel a bit of relief that he was going to leave us alone…“I asked you a question, boy. Who. Are. You?” he said again, this time demanding an answer.

  And true to Zach’s nature, he didn’t shrink away in terror, or try to hide, but stuck out his hand and introduced himself. “Hi! I’m Zach Marriott, and this is my bratty sister, Lauren. It’s so great to meet you!”

  The man ignored his hand. “How do you know me?” His voice rumbled with the deep threat of thunder.

  “So you are Dardanos?” Zach’s eyes were wide and innocent.

  The warrior didn’t answer. Instead, he scowled at Zach, turned on his heel, and stomped toward the door. Of course, Zach followed, close on his heels. I rolled my eyes, and knew another experience was coming where I’d need to save him. But against this Dardanos guy, we were sure to lose. He looked a lot faster than the hilda beasts.

  Dardanos turned around to face Zach, gritting his teeth. “Go away!” He promptly slammed the inn’s door in his face.

  Zach ran back over to me. “This is the best day of my life!” Then he was back at the door, yanking it open and following Dardanos out into the bright sunlight, peppering him with questions. “What are you doing here in Morgantown? Have you done any raids lately? Do you like the armor you have? What quests are you working on?”

  I was so embarrassed I could have slithered beneath the table, never to come out again, but what could I do but go looking for them?

  I stepped outside and saw Dardanos across the square, trading supplies at a supply wagon. That alone was weird to me. Zach was on his way over when I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back. “Let’s not get too close.”

  I backed up against the inn’s rough wooden walls, whispering, “That guy freaks me out, and did you see that cut on his chest?” I could see it from where I stood, the blood seeping down his seriously muscled chest.

  “He has a cut?” Zach frowned in dismay. “I didn’t notice. I’ll go ask.”

  “No!” I grabbed for him again, but he was off and running.

  Kill me now. I backed up farther into the shadows, hoping to remain invisible while Zach made a fool of himself in public. I watched him gesticulate wildly while talking with Dardanos the Duffus, and then come running back over to me. By the time he was back at my side, he was panting and out of breath.

  “He battled with the hilda beasts you stirred up. He saved our lives!”

  It all came together. The battered armor. The cuts and bruises. He must have been behind us on the path, taking the brunt of the attack. “Really? Hmm. He might not be so bad.”

  Zach folded his arms over his chest and squinted at me, shaking his head. “Don’t get any stupid ideas, Lauren. He won’t like you.”

  I ignored his comment, not letting him bate me like usual. “Whatever. He wasn’t that friendly anyway, and it’s not like we’ll ever see him again. We need to find out where we are so we can go home.”

  “I told you, we’re in my Warlord game. It’s the most popular online game right now.”

  I couldn’t help but sigh impatiently, shaking my head. Kids were so impressionable, and it was obvious my brother had spent too much time playing computer games. “Zach, are you seriously stupid enough to believe that two human beings were somehow sucked into a computer game?” I grabbed him around the neck and rubbed his head with my knuckles. “Hello, McFly!”

  He ducked away and glared. “Why do you have to be a bully? Can’t you ever be nice?” He stayed out of reach, smoothing down his hair.

  “Whatever. Let’s find someone who can give us directions.”

  Zach followed me back inside the inn, and I went straight for the proprietor behind the counter. The man’s smile broadened as soon as he noticed me. “Watch and learn, brotha. Watch and learn,” I said over my shoulder.

  “That’s Innkeeper Harris, just so you know,” Zach whispered, still rubbing his head.

  I took a deep breath, then plastered a wide, ingratiating smile on my face—a smile that no guy had ever been able to resist. “Excuse me, sir, I wonder if you could tell me how to get out of this town. We’re lost and need to get home.” I flipped my long, platinum hair and batted my eyelashes… a tactic that always worked.

  “I sure can,” the proprietor replied with a wink. “You take that path outside and head north. It’ll take you to Tardania, the biggest city in these parts. From there, you can fly on a Pegasus anywhere.”

  I
looked at the man, trying to resist the frown that threatened to take over my expression. How do you have a normal conversation with someone who believed horses could fly? “Uh, is there a bus station close by or an airport maybe?”

  The man’s dark eyebrows creased. “Never heard of those. Sorry.”

  Still smiling, I turned to Zach with questioning eyes, but he made it a point to be of no help as he watched me, his lips twisting into a sardonic smile.

  Stalking back out into the sunshine, I left the bartender to his dishtowels.

  Zach followed, chuckling. “So, was I supposed to learn something back there? You were great, by the way.”

  “Shut up. I need to think.”

  “Just sayin’.”

  I rubbed my forehead, feeling like a nail had been driven through my brain. We stood in the center of the town, the hot sun beating down, and sweat drenching my shirt. I was baking, monumentally tired, and lost in time with a brother who couldn’t be happier about it. People passed by with barely a glance in our direction. The situation was hopeless.

  “Have you heard of the place that guy mentioned? Tardania?” I asked finally.

  “Duh. I play the game, Lauren. Tardania is a huge Guild city. It’s not far.”

  “Guild?” I clenched my jaw, my headache worsening by the second. None of the words or names of places were familiar. None of the people seemed real. It’s was like I was in some sort of TV show, only I didn’t know my lines or what was going to happen next. “What’s the Guild?” I asked, following Zach and trying not to concentrate too hard, and make my headache worse.

  Zach trudged down the dirt path, swinging his arms. He couldn’t be happier. “The Guild? Oh, they’re the good guys.”

  I followed, but couldn’t keep up. Zach stopped and looked back, looking completely content to be lost in this world of craziness. Opening the bag of bread he bought, he handed me a piece. “Eat this. You’ll feel better.”

  I studied his face, surprised that he even cared. Warily, I took a bite, closing my eyes as a strange sensation coursed through my body. Not only did my headache disappear, but I began to feel good. Really good. Energy tingled all the way to the tips of my fingers, and a smile spread across my face. That was some dang fine bread.