A Tale of Two Kobolds, Chapter 7

 A Tale of Two Kobolds, Chapter 7

                                             By William W. Kelso

            They were so tired from the previous days travel and excitement that neither of them stirred until they heard Mabel moving around in her bedroom.  Griss had slept with his head resting on Kix's stomach most of the night, and as he woke up he rubbed his snout against her belly, and thought, 'me, a father, how wonderful!'  Her lower belly had just begun to swell with their eggs, but he hadn't found out about her 'condition' until last night, and then only by 'accident'.  He'd had mixed feelings, but the greatest was joy.  He felt claws gently scratching the top of his head, and lifting his head found Kix regarding him with her beautiful yellow & black eyes.  For whatever reason they always seemed to glow when she looked at him.  He gave a yawn, and hissing in affection licked her snout.

            "Did you sleep well?"  She asked, running her claws over his snout and neck as they rubbed noses.

            "Umm, yes."  Griss said, "I dreamed we were back at Kirk's hometree, surrounded by our hatchlings while Pips played with Ick."

            "What a wonderful dream!"  Kix said, "Did you know some say dreams are visions of the future or past?"

            "Yes, it was wonderful."  Griss hissed softly as he rested his head on his mates belly again.  And he hoped his dream was a good omen. Me, a father!  Now isn't that something?  Something wonderful.  The fact his children would be small reptiles did not bother him in the least.

            "Good morning, you two."  Mabel said as she came into the main room of her small house, "Good Gods, it must be almost late morning!  What a bunch of lazy good for nothings we all are."

            Griss rolled over on his back, stretched his legs, and got up to help Mabel fix them some breakfast.  He didn't mind doing 'women's work' at all, in the kobold culture both sexes prepared the meals, at least the ones best at it.  While Kix was an excellent cook, he had learned a lot from her.  So he was happy to show off his culinary prowess.  While mostly carnivores; kobolds did enjoy some fruits and other plants.  So the pan fried roots and almost raw meat; at least the kobolds portions, were declared a success by both Mabel and Kix, much to Griss's smug satisfaction.  Even Rikky and Ick; the two house/guard lizards called nimble's, got into the act, sticking their heads over the ledge of the loft and hissing until they got some tidbits.  From their delighted hisses they approved as well.

            Once the meal was over; and the plates and other utensils had been cleaned and put back in their proper places, it was time to plan their day's activities.  Kix and Griss's initial goal of reaching the village had been achieved, now it was time for the most important part of their 'quest'.  They had to find the "Grand Compendium', that ancient legendary tome of powerful spells and other magic's, and keep that grimoire from falling into the wrong hands.  The ancient and mostly forgotten spells it contained could devastate the land if misused by a power hungry mage.  Griss's intent was to find, and if possible, destroy it.  That would leave the only other known surviving copy in the care of the Dragons, and at least that one was safe.  But first he hoped to be able to find a spell that would return him to his natural human form, having been cursed by a sorcerer named Melchet to live as a kobold; unable to even speak to anyone else but other kobolds, little more than an animal.  But he'd found out very quickly that kobolds most certainly were NOT animals.  They were as intelligent as any human, and in his opinion, even more than most.

            Seeing the look on Griss's face, and the faraway stare in his eyes, Kix gently licked his snout, and asked,

            "Where were you?"

            "Oh, uh, I was just thinking."  Griss replied; blinking his eyes a couple of times to clear his mind.  "We need to visit the manor house as soon as possible, there's no telling when Melchet and his mercenaries will arrive.  We're very lucky we beat them to the village, but they can't be more then a day or two behind."

            "Well," Mabel said, "no time like the present.  It's not like I have anything else to do, things have been pretty quiet; and boring, around here since everyone else left.  Usually I spend most of my time puttering in the garden or preparing drugs, but that can wait.  Far as I'm concerned we can go now."

            "Mabel," Griss said, "how is it you can speak kobold so well, you're the only human I've met who can, and it's nice to be able to talk to someone other than another kobold  again."

            "Oh, I guess because Master Cuthbert employed so many of them, and I picked it up over the years. I can't get all the sounds right though, the nasal vocalizations are totally beyond me."

            "Well, those are used mainly for signaling," Griss said, "but you're amazingly good at it, I can understand you easily."

            "Well, I guess I have a talent for languages."  Mabel said a little self consciously,   "I know seven."

            "Seven, Good Gods!"  Griss hissed, "I know three, and thought I was exceptional!  But right now I can only speak kobold."

            "Thanks to that bastard Melchet."  Kix hissed angrily.

            "Speaking of which, the sooner we head out, the better."  Mabel said.

            "Sounds good to me," Kix said, "I certainly don't have anything else to do."  Griss concurred wholeheartedly, so they got ready for their little excursion.  It didn't take very long as Kix and Griss just put on their packs, and Mabel's only 'equipment' was a stout walking stick/spear.  When Mabel saw Kix eyeing the nasty tip, she said,

            "You never know, there are beasties about even in the daytime."  And of course Griss took his popstick as well.  You never knew when it might come in handy.  Going unarmed in the jungle was foolhardy, even if you were one of its 'denizens'.

            Before they headed out Griss had her dip the tip of her spear in a small bowl of a thick oily concoction made from kobold poison and a sticky sap to thicken it.  Kirk had taught him how to make it, and how to 'milk' himself for the poison.  Mabel was grateful and suitably impressed.

            "How far is the manor?"  Griss asked as they started out, making their way down an overgrown street between rows of decrepit houses, the tall grass rustling ahead as Ick and Rikky ranged ahead.

            "Oh, not that far."  Mabel said, "Cuthbert built the manor into the side of a hill to use the terrain to the best advantage, but the village was built on a level area for farming.  About two kilometers I guess, give or take.  There's a good trail, so we'll be there in no time."

            The trail they were following was still in good repair, but it was also obvious it hadn't been used regularly for quite some time.  But the way it followed; instead of going against, the land had kept it amazingly clear of debris or secondary growth. As they walked through the welcome dimness of the well shaded trail Griss noticed that at one time much of the trails borders had been planted with flowers and other ornamental plants, and they passed more than one small clearing that had evidently been a small park at one time, now all overgrown and well on their way back to 'wild' growth.

Ick and Rikky were having a good time, chasing one another and getting underfoot until Kix finally gave an exasperated hiss, and 'chased' them away with a swat of her tail, the two large lizards running up a nearby tree and perching on a limb, hissing their disapproval.

"I don't think I've ever seen Rikky take to another nimble like that before," Mabel said, "Usually he's very territorial, and if the other won't leave he'll get in a fight."

"What are you hissing about?"  Kix asked Griss when he started hissing in amusement.

"Can't you tell?"  Griss replied, gently rubbing his tail across Kix's, "They're in love."

"Ohhh!"  Kix hissed.

"Well, that certainly explains it."  Mabel said, "Rikky's certainly an adult, and he's been lonely as not many lizards of their kind are to be found outside of kobold hometrees, so I'm glad he found a mate."

"I think Ick is pretty glad, too."  Kix hissed in amusement as she watched Ick rubbing her snout against her mates.

The trail meandered at random through the thick forest/jungle, at times looping back on itself, and Griss realized it really wasn't as far to the manor as he'd originally assumed, the winding trail just gave that impression.  He watched the way the dappled sunlight played over Kix's hide, finding it very...erotic.  If Mabel wasn't there; but she was, so...maybe later.  He moved a little closer to his mate, and she gave soft hisses of approval as his tail rubbed against hers every now and then.  Soon Ick and Rikky were underfoot again, and they eventually gave up trying to get them to 'obey' and knock it off.

The only incident came when they were crossing a log over a fairly narrow creek, but it had steep sides and the bed was fairly deep.  There had been a foot bridge at one time, but it had collapsed from wood rot, and someone had replaced it with an old log.  As they were crossing Ick and Rikky ran between Griss's legs, startling him, and he lost his footing on the slick wood and; kicking and hissing frantically, fell headfirst into the shallow stream.  Kix and Mabel broke into hisses and peals of laughter when he sat up covered in mud and slime, trying to appear dignified.  It didn't work, and even the two lizards bobbed their heads and hissed loudly.

"It's NOT funny!  Stupid nimble's!"  Griss hissed.  Then when Kix kept hissing in amusement he reached up, grabbed her leg, and pulled her into the creek as well.  Kix gave a screech of surprise as she landed next to him with a muddy splat, and it was on.  Hissing loudly they tussled in the mud, smearing big globs of slimy goo all over one another, both hissing and chirping in delight at the messy fun.  Mabel just sat on the log and watched, laughing her head off, until one of them made a grab for HER leg.

"Oh, NO you don't!" Mabel said, giggling as she avoided the grabbing paw, and scrambled to the safely of the bank.  "You may like to play in the slime, but not me!"  The kobolds only response was to pelt her with several well aimed globs of mud, much to Mabel's 'outrage'.  When Griss started throwing mud at the two nimbles they prudently moved out of range.

"Come on in!" Kix hissed, "It's fun!  The mud is nice and cool!"

"No way, uh-uh!"  Mabel said, "You're naked and your hide cleans off easily, besides, I'm wearing clothes!"

"So, take them off!"  Griss hissed.

"GRISS!"  Kix and Mabel both said in scandalized horror.

"What?"  Griss said, then when Kix pelted him with a particularly large and goopy glob of mud, said "WHAT?" again, even louder, which just resulted in an even larger glob of mud being heaved in his direction, and with a hiss he counterattacked.

Once the renewed melee calmed down again Mabel said, "I'm not letting the two of you anywhere near me until you get cleaned up.  You're disgusting."

Griss and Kix looked at one another, and they were each pretty much covered from snout to tail in a thick layer of slimy mud.  It felt wonderful on their hide, but they both had to agree it WAS pretty disgusting looking, and come to think of it didn't smell all that great either.  They'd shed their packs, so at least they'd survived with only some mud on the waterproof exteriors, but they still needed cleaning as well.  Griss looked around for some clean water to help clean them off as Kix tried to wipe some of the worst of the sludge off of them; just smearing it around even more, but from what he could see the creek was pretty much all slimy mud, barely flowing and largely stagnant.

"Come on," Mabel said, "the manor isn't far, and it has a much nicer creek flowing through it, and the pool should be useable."

Flowing through it?  Pool?  Griss thought, that sounded interesting.  Scrambling up the bank he helped Kix up the steep slippery slope, each getting pulled back in a couple of times before they managed to get out.  They stopped for a minute to wipe the worst of the mud off one another, and then followed Mabel; who was carrying the packs, flakes of dried mud littering the path in their wake.  The mud didn't keep Griss from giving Kix a nice 'kiss', but he had to admit the mud didn't taste as good as it felt.  At least the two nimbles; after giving disapproving sniffs of the two goo covered kobolds, kept their distance.

__________

            Melchet reigned in his horse with a weary grunt, and looked at the village in the large clearing.  As the scout had said it looked abandoned, the houses and lesser buildings overgrown and decrepit.  He waited in the humid heat while several of his hired blades cautiously poked around, and when they finally came back, one said,

            "Pretty much as abandoned as it looks, only one house looks like anyone's been living there."

            "Did you go inside?"  Melchet asked.

            "No," the man replied, then seeing the look Melchet gave him, added, "Sir."  Ponsy git, the man thought.  Just because I work for him don't mean I have to kiss his ass.

            "Good," Melchet said, "you two come with me, the rest of you take a break and look around some more.  Keep an eye out for any tracks."

            As they rode up the house; more like a hovel Melchet thought, he dismounted, and having to stoop a little to enter the dwelling; as well as having to watch his head once he was inside, he poked around.  Due to his height; he averaged a head taller than most, it was not that unusual for peasant dwellings to be a little low for his taste.  He wasn't very impressed with what he found.  He was an astute observer, and quickly deduced that a woman lived in the hovel, alone, and that she had some magic talents in the 'nature' area.  A hedge witch, he assumed from the herbs and other ingredients, and a few simple charms.  But it also looked like she'd had company as there was a small pile of mussed up sleeping pads by the fireplace, and other evidence of visitors.  Children?  He wondered; the pads weren't large enough for an adult, or adults.  Taking one last look around, casting a charm to reveal any hidden objects; there weren't any, he left again, forgetting to bend low enough and giving his head a good bonk on the doors lintel.

            "Oww!"  Melchet hissed, "By the Old Ones!"  He snarled as he rubbed his forehead.

            "You say something, uh, sir?"  One of the mercenaries asked.

            "What?  Oh, not really," Melchet replied.  "Have everyone keep an eye out for a woman, and she might not be alone, might have some brats with her."

__________

            Giss and Kix both stopped, and Griss gave a honk of surprise as he saw the manor for the first time, it was...impressive to say the least.  It really had been built into the side of a hill, and instead of thatch or tile for a roof it had living grass!  It was larger than he'd been expecting too, having at least two stories with a large attic.  Instead of being squared off like most buildings he was used to the lines of the house flowed, rounded and soft, merging into the very earth in places.  It was...a wonder.  Most of the windows still had the glass in them, but a few only had shards, the openings looking like the eye sockets in a strange alien skull, and the main front door was open, sagging on its hinges.  It was obvious the yard and grounds had once been well maintained, but were a tangle of thriving flowers and other plants now, and the remains of furniture and crates littered the yard.  Kix gave a sad hiss, and said,

            "It used to be so beautiful."

            "It still is!"  Griss hissed.  Despite its rundown appearance the house still exuded a feeling of genteel elegance.

            "Damn mayor and his hoodlums sacked the place as soon as they could after Master Cuthbert died," Mabel said vehemently, "and what they couldn't haul off they dumped in the yard, or tore up looking for 'treasure', the idiots.  The manor WAS the treasure, that and the library.  The Master didn't put much store in gold and other trinkets."

            As they crossed the yard Griss gave a hiss of dismay when he looked in one of the crates and found it was packed with books, now ruined and rotten from exposure.  Running to another crate he found the same.

            "This is an outrage!"  He snarled loudly, jaws snapping in anger.  "These books were priceless!"  He hissed in despair as he read the still visible titles on some of the elegant leather covers, some of the books were ones he'd only heard of!  Rare and priceless, and they'd been left out in the weather to rot!

            "Don't be too hard on them," Mabel said, "I hate to defend stupidity, but to them they were just large heavy junk, I doubt even the mayor could read beyond a very limited level.  They just dumped them because they thought they weren't worth dragging back to the village."

            "Imbeciles."  Griss muttered under his breath, tail lashing.  STUPID imbeciles!

            "Well, come one," Mabel said, "I'm sure there are still a lot of books in the library, the ones they didn't burn for fuel."

            Stupid IGNORANT imbeciles!  Griss thought as he followed Kix and Mabel through the gaping front door, still holding a couple of ruined books he just couldn't bear to put down yet.

__________

            "My lord,' one of the more respectful mercenaries said, "I found fresh tracks on a trail leading out of the village.  From the looks a woman, and I'm not sure what the other tracks are, they look reptilian.  Maybe she's being stalked?"

            "Show me."  Melchet said.  He looked at the fresh prints in the soft earth, and the man was right.  A woman; and two others, but not human.  He examined the other tracks carefully, noting where tails had occasionally brushed against the ground.  Definitely reptiles of some kind, but what kind?  Small for raptors, unless they were juveniles.

            "Those are kobold tracks."  One of the mercenaries spoke up.

            "Oh, and you know this...because?"  Melchet asked.

            "Because they're kobold tracks," the man said again, unperturbed by his fancy employer's condescending attitude.  "See the way the toes and claws are spread?  Raptors are different because of those nasty fighting claws they have, and their heel spurs dig in deeper."

            "Hmm, I do believe you're correct," Melchet said after another look, "well done.  And there are kobold settlements in this area, so it stands to reason.  What do you make of these smaller tracks?"

            "Just some sort of big lizards," the man said, "four legged with long tails, the jungle is full of them.  Most are pretty harmless, unless they're running in a large pack."

            "I concur."  Melchet said, "Now let us see where our little friends and the mysterious woman have gotten themselves off too.  The manor is supposed to be near the village, and as this is the only other decent trail I assume it's in this direction.  You five stay here and keep an eye on this dreadful little dump, and the rest come with me. Oh, and if you find anything worth stealing, be my guest.  Except for books, if you find any save them for me."

__________

            As they entered the front foyer of the manor Griss was impressed, again.  The floor was inlaid river stones, smooth and fitted perfectly, and the walls were well oiled dark wood; now desperately in need of fresh oil.  The large foyer was empty except for a few scattered books and other debris, and a large staircase led to the upper story, and several doors opened off to the sides.  It was gloomy inside, but not as bad as he would expected as the windows had been positioned with an eye towards letting in as much light as possible.

            "The library is that way," Mabel said, "but before I let you two filthy beasts anywhere near it you're going to take baths!  Playing in the mud; and you're supposed to be adults!  The very idea!"  Kix gave a hiss of amusement; and slapped him with her tail, as Griss stuck his tongue out behind Mabel's back, and pantomimed throwing mud at her.

            They passed through several other ransacked rooms; once beautiful furniture smashed to pieces, leaves and trash drifted in the corners, mildew growing on the beautiful wooden walls, and then entered a larger central area, and Griss was even more impressed.  An actual stream flowed through the middle of the large room, and a large pool had been dug out and lined with stone, the streams flow partially diverted to keep it supplied with fresh water.  It was...amazing!  Griss had seen some pools that utilized hot springs back in Konigsholm, but none had been anywhere near this big.  With a shrill hiss of delight Kix dived into the pool leaving hardly a ripple, her sleek form knifing through the water effortlessly leaving a cloud of mud behind her, and with an equally loud hiss Griss followed.

            Griss dived to the bottom of the pool, arms held next to his body and legs trailing as his strong tail propelled him easily through the water.  Like most reptiles kobolds were natural swimmers, and once he'd learned how he'd come to enjoy it very much.  They were almost at home in the water just as much on the land, and he'd been amazed at how long he could hold his breath.  The water was cold, and it felt wonderful after the overly warm humid jungle, though was too cold to stay in for very long.  He could see Kix swimming along the surface above him, and with a flick of his tail he changed course and rose towards her.  He stuck his head out of the water, blew some water out of his snout, and said,

            "This is wonderful!  What a good idea!  An indoor pool AND stream!  I've never seen the like!"   Then he submerged, and with strong swipes of his tail dived for the bottom again, Kix close behind.

            Mabel smiled as she watched the two Kobolds frolicking in the water, and she could tell how much they were in love.  Lucky critters, she thought. She'd never found that 'special person' to share her life with, and while seeing others who had made her happy, it also reminded her of her own loneliness.  She watched as they surfaced, only the tops of their heads and snouts showing; they look like little alligators she thought, and after rubbing snouts for a few seconds, they dived again, curling around one another as they dived to the bottom.  She was amazed at how long they could hold their breaths, and how fast they were in the water. While they cleaned themselves off; and had a great time, she soaked a couple of rags and did her best to wipe off their packs.

            "OK, you two, enough of that!  You're clean enough."  Mabel finally yelled, "It's time we checked the library, and see what's left."

            Griss stared in awe at the shelves lining most of the walls of the two story library.  It was obvious quite a few books had been removed, but the shelves still held a great many and more were piled on the floor at random.  Running up a wrought iron spiral staircase to reach the balcony that lined the upper level of the shelves he ran from shelf to shelf, looking at books and hissing excitedly.  Everywhere he looked were treasures; and as soon as he found one rare volume he'd find another even rarer.  He doubted if even the great University had as many rare books.  He started to make a pile of 'rarer' books, but then gave up as there were just too many.  They were worth a fortune, but their real value was the knowledge they contained.  While many were on the sciences, history, and magic and other arcane arts, there were just as many great novels and works of poetry, philosophy, and so much more.  As he paused in his rampage and stared up at a large painting of a distinguished looking older man in clothing a century out of date, Kix said,

            "That's the great Cuthbert himself."

            With a soft hiss Griss bowed his head in respect.  Then he said, "All of this must be saved, there is a wealth of knowledge in these books."

            Mabel said, "I agree, but how?  The old charms on the library are slowly failing, and I do not have the power to recast them.  It is only a matter of time before nature takes its course.  Once the charms fail insects and other vermin will make short work of this feast."

            "I can reinforce them, at least make then last a little longer," Griss said, "but we'll need to find some way to store them properly.  For now this is the best we can do though.  It will take days just to catalogue them all.  But for now we have to visit the vault Kix told me about, and see if it's intact.  If it's not, then we're too late.  If the Compendium is gone then Gods help us."

__________

            "This damn trail is like a snake," Melchet complained, "it's weaving around all over the place!  What kind of idiot laid it out?"

            "Well," a mercenary said, "at least it's cool and shady, and the trail's a good one.  It would be a real chore chopping through the jungle."

            Melchet had to grudgingly agree, hacking through the thick growth surrounding the trail would have taken much longer, and no matter how much the trail meandered; apparently at random, it was much easier to just follow it.  Why anyone would want to live here puzzled him, it was so hot and overgrown!  Despite his spells to keep himself cooler and more comfortable he was still sweating.

__________

            Griss and Kix paused at the top of the stairs leading to the dark basement.  The basement had been constructed of stone and was quite sturdy, but it had suffered from neglect and from the looks was partially flooded, and when they'd pried open the basements damp swollen door they'd heard skittering sounds, and several large insects had run from the sudden light.

            "Vorches," Kix hissed, "I hate the nasty things!"

            Griss wasn't too thrilled either, the large insects were a good ten inches in size, some even larger, and while kobolds did eat certain insects vorches were NOT one of them.  While pretty much just scavengers and pests, a large nest could do some real damage, and they thrived in the humid dark.  If they got in the library!  The horrible thought just made him shudder.  They'd devour the books down to the spines in no time.

            "Mabel," Griss said, "you'd better stay up here.  It's nasty down there, and we can move through water easier and safer then you can."

            Mabel wasn't about to argue, and said, "Be careful.", as her two friends carefully ventured down the slippery stairs.  The stairs were stone as well, but slippery with moisture and patches of slime.  Claws provided much better traction then feet would have, and they could see much better than a human despite the gloom.

            "Where's the vault?"  Griss asked as they waded through stagnant slimy water up to the base of their tails, which they held up and out as best they could.  They might be swimmers, but this water was just plain nasty.  It looked, and smelled, filthy; and there were things floating in it he didn't want to take too close a look at.

            "It's in the wine cellar area," Kix hissed, "The master did like his fine wines and after dinner lacquers." And with a snort she shook her head, and added,  "It stinks down here!"

            Griss wholeheartedly agreed, it smelled of mold and rot, and also of vermin.  The light from the stairs gave them enough to see by, their night vision being excellent, but he still didn't like all the dark corners and piles of unidentifiable debris, and he thought he could hear furtive rustling and splashing sounds.

            "Was it always this...disorganized?"  He asked as they made their way through, and around, piles of junk seemingly piled up and scattered at random.

            "Oh, Gods no!"  Kix hissed, "We always kept the manor clean and orderly, the Master insisted on that.  The villagers have obviously been down here too, and probably stole the contents of the wine cellar, and the trash must have clogged up the drains."

            "Well," Griss hissed, "I hope they all got sick drinking all that booze!"

            They were so concerned with carefully making their way through the maze of partially submerged debris that the attack took them completely by surprise.  Griss spun around as Kix gave a hiss of warning, and then several forms leaped onto them from the top of a stack of more stable crates, and they went down in a tangle of kicking limbs and flailing tails, the murky water churning.

            Griss surfaced, hacking from some water he'd swallowed, and saw Kix fighting with something clinging to her back, and despite something trying to latch onto his leg he gave a hiss of rage, and with a snap of his jaws took his mate's attacker in his mouth; his poisonous fangs snapping into their erect position, and biting down hard he shook the smaller attacker like a rat.  It went limp almost instantly, and he stood with it dangling from his mouth; hissing loudly, and the other attackers took one look, and fled.

            Kix flailed frantically as she felt something land on her back, and could feel claws and fangs trying to get a grip on her tough hide, but suddenly the weight was gone and the attackers fled, and turning she saw Griss in a fighting stance, arms spread wide with claws ready, tail whipping, a still form dangling from his mouth.  With a hissing snarl she hooked a small reptile under its snout with her claws and flung it away, it's frantically kicking form disappearing over a large crate.

            "Varks!" Kix hissed, moving closer to Griss.  He was in a fighting rage, and spitting out the dead vark he opened his jaws wide; and she could see his poison fangs glinting in the dim light, his eyes glowing with anger.  He gave a high pitched hiss that turned into a shrill bugle of challenge, but the varks had all disappeared into the gloom of the large basement; and any other wildlife that heard that call headed for the nearest hidey holes.  They'd had enough, what had looked like easy prey had turned out to be very nasty, so they knew when to quit.

            Kix waited for a few more minutes to make sure the varks were really gone, and then she turned to her mate and carefully rubbed his neck with her claw tips, licking his snout until the fighting rage had faded from his eyes and he began to relax.  She felt her heart beating much quicker than normal out of love and admiration for her mate, he had been magnificent!  Varks were deadly, they could overwhelm a much larger foe by sheer numbers, but his reaction had been so fast that they'd fled as soon as one of their number had been killed so quickly, they varks were intelligent enough to know when they were outmatched.  Plus it had probably been a smaller pack as well, thank the Gods.  And to Kix's surprise she realized it had all taken place in less than a minute!

            "What, what was that!?!"  Mabel called, and then suddenly a bright light exploded in the air near where they were as she cast an illumination spell, causing them to blink and shade their eyes.

            "Varks!"  Kix hissed loudly, "But Griss fought them off!  We're OK!"

            "Well, I'm coming down!"  Mabel yelled.

            "NO!"  Kix barked, "The varks are still around, and Griss is in a fighting rage, he'll still be dangerous until I calm him down!  Don't come down here!  He'll attack anything that comes close!  Please!"

            Kix kept licking and nuzzling Griss, hissing softly, her claws gently scratching his hide, and he finally shut his mouth, fangs retracting, and suddenly shuddered and gave a long hiss, shaking his head.

            "W-What happened?"  He said, sounding confused.

            Rubbing her snout against his, Kix said, "We were attacked, and you went into a fighting rage."

            "A-Attacked, by who?"  Griss asked.

            "Not who, by what."  Kix replied, "Varks, a small pack.  You killed one, and the rest took off.  They won't be bothering us again."

            Griss put his hands to his snout in horror, and said, "Oh Gods, I-I didn't use my poison, did I?"

            Kix knew how Griss felt about that capability of male kobolds, he'd found out about when he'd accidently killed a human who was threatening her.  He was a kind and gentle soul, and had taken it hard, never really forgiving himself.

            "It's good that you did," Kix said, "varks are hard to kill, and they could have overwhelmed us.  By killing one so quickly you scared them, and they fled."

            "I-I remember it now," Griss said, "but it's almost like it was someone else, I was so...so enraged.  They were threatening you, threatening our eggs.  I could never allow that."  He said, licking Kix's snout, her eyes glowing in the dim light.

            "I know," Kix said, "you were so brave, so fearless.  They took one look and ran away as fast as they could."  She looked at the dead vark bobbing in the water, and added, "I think you killed the alpha male, that really shook them up.  They're pack hunters, kill the leader and they don't know what to do."

            "I've heard warriors talk about something they call 'berserker fury'"; Griss mused, "it was something like that, I think.  They say they lose control, and their only desire is to kill their enemies no matter what it takes.  It makes them very dangerous as they don't feel much pain while they're in that state."

            "Yes," Kix said, "that sounds the same.  Male, and female, kobolds will fight to the death for their mates, hatchlings, and hometree.  Since you've routed the varks I think we'll be left alone now, if they know what's good for them."

            Griss rubbed his snout and shook his head again, the last red haze of rage fading from his mind.  Was that really me, he wondered?  I'm still finding out so much about my new life, he realized, some of them scary things.  But he did know one thing, nothing and nobody would threaten his mate while he was around.  Much calmer now; the excitement over, he led the rest of the way to the next part of the large cellar; both of them having to climb over a large heap of barrels and crates, the way made easier by Mabel's light spell.

            Thankfully the next room; the wine cellar, was not as badly flooded as the main storage area as the floor was raised enough and the drains were clear, but they had to be careful because of broken glass and crockery that littered the floor.  Griss just couldn't understand why they'd broken so many bottles; well made glass bottles were valuable, especially to the poorer classes.  Probably helped themselves to a little too much before they left the cellar, he thought.

            "Where's the vault?"  Griss asked, looking around, perplexed as he didn't see any heavy doors or portals of any kind, and even if it was hidden he should have been able to find it fairly easily.

            "Right in front of us."  Kix hissed.

            Griss blinked, confused, as the only thing in front of them was a wall of the cellar that appeared to be mainly the root of a tree, a rather large root, a big knot in the roots approximate center.  He was surprised they hadn't cut it out, perhaps because it was so large.  It certainly provided good support for the upper part of the manor.

            "Watch."  Kix said.

            Griss watched, hissing in growing amazement, as Kix ran her claws over the root and hissed in a kind of low chant; too low for him to make out the words.  Suddenly the knot trembled, and with a creak spiraled open to reveal a hiding place within the root itself.  Reaching into the opening Kix picked up something large wrapped in a velvet cloth, and turning handed it to him.  Griss took the offering, and opening the wrappings found a heavy leather sleeve containing a large book, only the spine visible.  He had no doubt as to what it was, even with his own limited magical abilities he could feel the sheer power the book radiated.  It was large and heavy, but not as large as he had been expecting.  For a human it would be about the size of a thick illustrated book on nature or art.

            "Thank the Gods it was still here!"  Griss hissed as he ran his claws over the sleeve protecting the book.  "Is there anything else in there?"

            "No," Kix said, "Master Cuthbert had the vault prepared solely for protecting the book.  Only the greatest magic users could even detect it.  It's kobold nature magic."  She finished with pride in her voice.  "I had to ask the tree to open for me, only a few other then kobolds know how to do that."

            Griss gave Kix a quick lick on her snout, and said, "You never cease to amaze me my love, what did I do to deserve so wonderful a mate?"

            "You love me."  Kix said, and licked him back.  After staring into one another's eyes for a short time; much too short a time, they answered an anxious query from Mabel, and Griss wrapped the book in the velvet covering again; it was imbued with spells to ward dampness and mildew so would probably come in handy.

            Their return trip through the flooded cellar was uneventful; the varks having learned their lesson the hard way, and as they carefully climbed the slick stairs Mabel asked,

"Is that it?"

"Yes." Griss said as he reached the landing; the book clutched tightly to his chest, "The Grand Compendium".

"Hmph," Mabel sniffed, "doesn't look like much to me, so much trouble over one book."

"It's not the book," Griss said, "it's what it contains, the most powerful spells and other magic's of the most powerful wizards and other magic users that have ever lived.  Not only human, but the other races as well."

"Such power could do a lot of good."  Kix hissed.

"Unfortunately those who wield such spells usually aren't exactly what you'd call benevolent types."  Mabel said drily.

"As they say," Griss said, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"Too true."  Mabel said sadly.  "And even if a good person had the book, the others who desire its power will never stop trying to take it from him.  So, what do we do next?"

"I need a good place; with lots of light, where I can take a closer look at it."  Griss said.

"The day room on the second floor," Kix said, 'that would be perfect, if the desk is still there."

"It is," Mabel said, 'it was too large and heavy for the mayor and his hoodlums to move it."

__________

            Ick and Rikky had remained outside the manor; being well trained they had obeyed their owners commands to 'keep an eye out'.  They'd found themselves a nice shady spot on a convenient tree, and were dozing next to one another in the heat, but in the manner of their kind were also still very aware of what was going on around them.  So when they spotted a man; doing his best to remain unseen, skulking at the perimeter of the manors overgrown lawn, they snapped awake instantly, and with a soft hiss Ick took off for the manor, Rikky remaining to keep an eye on the intruder, and soon after that he saw more appearing farther down the trail.  Giving a kind of fluting honk he let his mate know there was more than one stranger, and climbed the tree to a better vantage point.  The scout just ignored what looked like a couple of large feral lizards, but of course only saw them when they moved.  If they didn't want to be seen, they wouldn't be.

__________

            Griss looked around the large airy room at the front of the second story of the house in approval.  It had windows and skylights designed to let in a maximum of light at any hour of the day.  It had the usual debris and trash scattered about, but as Kix had indicated the huge; to him, old table was still in place.  After Mabel pushed an equally large and heavy chair into place Griss hopped up on it and set the book on the table.  Carefully unwrapping the velvet cover he gently slid the book out of its protective sleeve.  He could tell two things right away, it was very old, and it was warded.  The thick heavy leather covers were plain on the back, but the front had an old universal symbol for 'magic' deeply embossed on it, and there were three large silver clasps.  Griss, having been a book dealer in his 'human life', was frustrated as he tried to open the clasps. Thanks to the curse he couldn't use any of his 'open' spells since he couldn't speak common or the 'tongue' of magic, and he didn't know any kobold ones.  He tried 'translating' some human ones to kobold, but they had no effect and he couldn't even tell if they'd even worked.  Nor did Kix or Mabel know any such spells that had any effect on the book, it stubbornly refused to open for them.

            "I can't do ANYthing unless we can open the clasps!"  Griss hissed in a very frustrated voice.  "I can't use any of the human spells I do know, and they might not even work anyway.  We need to find an advanced magic user."

            "There are none anywhere around here that I know of."  Mabel said, "the nearest might be back at the frontier fort."

            "And we can't go back that way because of Melchet."  Griss hissed in frustration.

            "The elders of my clan might be able to open it," Kix said, "some of them are very powerful."

            At one time Griss would have laughed at the idea of an 'animal' being able to work such powerful magic, but he'd learned a lot since his transformation.  He'd underestimated his new race again and again, and had been impressed at just how intelligent and accomplished they were.  He had no doubt a kobold mage could use the Compendium with ease, and from what he'd seen he'd trust it with one of them before any humans he knew.  He'd learned that they put family and clan ahead of everything else, and the idea of great personal power seemed to be almost an alien concept.  He's also been humbled by that knowledge.

            "I agree." Griss said, "I'm sure they'd be able to open the Compendium and help us decide what to do with it.  If it can't be destroyed we need to find a safe place to hide it."

            "My hometree is not very far from here, a week's travel at the most," Kix said, "and the way is fairly easy, even for Mabel since she can't travel in the trees like we can."

            "Wait just a second now," Mabel said, "who said anything about my leaving?  This IS my home, you know."

            Kix gripped one of Mabel's arms gently, and said, "You'd be welcome, you know.  Anyone who was a friend of Cuthbert's would be.  And it might not be safe to remain in the village for now, not with that horrible Melchet person snooping about."

            Mabel bent over and rubbed her nose against Kix's snout in a 'kiss', and said, "Oh, I know that dearie, it's just I can't see myself living in a tree, I'd fall out sooner or later and break my neck, and I'd be stepping on tails all the time."

            Griss couldn't help give a snort of amusement; that was probably true!  He'd become perfectly 'adapted' to arboreal life, climbing around and spending more time off the ground then on it, but he still remembered how awkward and terrifying it had been at first, even in a form suited for it. While kobolds were natural born climbers, humans most certainly were not.  Besides, she wouldn't fit in any of the sleeping niches anyway!  Too big, and he had a feeling she'd be miserable.

            "Well," Kix said, "you could come and visit sometime, you know."

            "And you can come and visit me."  Mabel said.  Then she added, "What IS that noise?"

            They all listened; Kix cocking her head, as the loud scratching/tapping sound came again.  It was Griss who spotted the source.

            "It's Ick, she's at the window!  I think she wants in."

            Mabel went over to the window, and opened it enough to let the lizard slip through, then ducked as she saw movement in the border of the trees, and whispered,

            "There's someone out there!  I saw a man!  In the woods!"

            Kix, who was 'talking' with Ick; the lizard hissing and whipping its tail back forth said, "There's more!  Don't know how many though, but more than a couple!"

            Griss had been impressed at how smart the nimbles were; like the dogs humans kept the large lizards had been 'domesticated' by the kobolds for thousands of years.  Both being reptiles they seemed to have an even 'closer' relationship then humans and canines, and could 'speak' to one another to a certain degree.  But it was like talking to a very dense child, with no real grasp of certain concepts.  To a nimble the idea of numbers was confusing.  There was one, then there was more than one, and that was about it.  So basically all Kix could learn from Ick was there was 'more than one stranger coming'.

            Griss raised his head just enough for a quick glance out one of the dirty window panes, and hissed,

            "It's Melchet, is has to be!  I can see at least five men, all armed!"

            "Did they see me?"  Mabel asked apologetically.

            "No, I don't think so."  Griss said, "They're still in the trees, taking a look at the house.  If they'd seen you I'm sure they'd be moving faster."  Sticking his head up for another quick look, he added, "Damn it, they're almost at the door now!  We have to get out of here!  Is there a back door?"

            "No," Kix said, "only an escape tunnel, but the entrance is in the basement!"

            "We'll have to go out one of the windows."  Griss said.

            "But what about Mabel?"  Kix hissed worriedly, "She can't go climbing about like we can!"

            "Hey, I'm not totally helpless," Mabel said, "I think I can climb out a window without breaking my neck!  And I'll have to carry the book; it's too big and clumsy for you two."

            "Makes sense," Kix said, "the best one is in the old servant's quarters in the north wing; it opens onto the roof, and can't be seen from the front of the manor.  We should be able to stay out of sight that way."

            "I agree; good choice."  Mabel said.

            They all froze as they heard the front door bang open, and the sound of voices in the entrance hall.

            "I suggest we get a move on, now!"  Griss hissed quietly.  The others just nodded in agreement, and with Kix leading the way they moved as silently as they could through the debris strewn halls and rooms, Ick bringing up the rear.

            Entering the servants quarters; which hadn't been ransacked as much as the rest of the manor, Kix opened a small window in one corner, and cautiously stuck her head out and looked around.  Some cover was given by the grass on the roof which had grown quite tall, so she was pretty sure no one had seen the window open.  Pulling her head back in, she said,

            "Griss, you go first, then you can help Mabel.  Once you're both out I'll hand you the book."

            "Good idea."  Griss hissed quietly, then easily slipped through the narrow window, and turning he helped pull Mabel through the; to her, tight opening.  She probably rubbed a few spots raw, but managed to get through without too much trouble after some wriggling, Griss pulling, and Kix pushing.  Then she turned and Kix handed her the book and Ick, then followed them, closing the window behind her.

            "Which way?"  Griss asked.

            "Up the hill," Kix said, "we can keep out of sight in the tall grass, and it's the right direction."

            As they made their way through the grass Rikky joined them, giving Ick a quick rub with his snout, and they almost made it unobserved, but one of the mercenarie; who had remained behind to relieve himself, caught a glimpse of them must as they reached the thicker wild growth and quickly disappeared.  Finishing his business he hurried to the manor.

__________

            Melchet stepped over some of the debris littering the floor of the entrance foyer with a grimace of distaste.  He disapproved of such purposeless vandalism.

            "Wow," one of the mercenaries said, "someone really trashed this dump."

            "And they should have been strung up and castrated so they couldn't breed!"  Melchet snapped.  He recognized the superb elegance and sophistication of the manor's unique construction, and despite his many faults not recognizing beauty was not one of them.

            "Uh, yeah, right," the mercenary mumbled, "castrated."

            "You three spread out and search the house," Melchet said, "The rest come with me.  We need to find the library."

            Melchet was also enraged at the condition of the library, but was even more enraged when he quickly realized what he was looking for wasn't there.  Oh, to be sure there were many rare books and other tomes on various kinds of magic, but no sign of what he was looking for.  The men accompanying him wisely stayed as far away as possible as he vented his rage in a truly impressive way, many of the oaths and curses impressive to say the least, and had he started casting spells they would have all run away as fast as possible.  An enraged mage was not safe to be around.  He was finally starting to calm down a little when one of the searchers entered the library, and said,

            "Milord, I found something!"

            "WHAT?"  Melchet hissed.

            "Um, er," The man stuttered.

            "Oh, come on, out with it, man!"  Melchet said, fighting to make his voice more reasonable sounding.  "I promise I won't bite your head off."

            The man, not really all that reassured, said, "Um, I found evidence of recent activity, and I found this in an upstairs room."  And he held out the velvet cover from the book, which Griss had left behind in their hurry to leave.

            Melchet snatched the cover from the man's hands, and examined it closely.  It was a cover for a large book, and since it was embroidered with spells and warded to protect whatever it was covering it was obviously for a very valuable book.

"Were did you find this, show me!"  Melchet said, and they all followed the man as he led them out of the library.

            Melchet found the man was also right about the signs of recent activity, the large table in the room he'd found the cover in had been cleaned off, and the dust and dirt had been disturbed.  Since the cover was clean it obvious it had been left there very recently, and it still retained an 'echo' of the powerful magic it had once contained.  And he had no doubt as to what book had been inside the cover.  Since there was nothing else of interest in the room they were about to follow the faint trail through the debris laden halls, when another man joined them.

            "Milord," a mercenary said as he barged into the room, "I saw a woman and some big lizards!  They were climbing out of an upstairs window!"

            "Did you do anything to stop them?"  Another mercenary asked.

            "What could I do?"  The first replied, "They was way up high, and I don't have a bow!"

            Melchet said, "Stop bickering, you two!  Just show me where they went!"  Then they followed the man who'd seen them down the stairs and back out into the yard.

            "Up there," Milord, the man said, "See that small window?  They climbed out of the house there, and went into the woods at the top of the hill!"

            "Did they have a large book with them?"  Melchet asked, "Or a large bundle?"

            "Um, yeah," the man replied, "now that you mention it, the woman was carrying a big book of some kind.  I couldn't tell if the lizards had anything though."

            "Then they DO have it," Melchet said, "come on, we have to catch them!"

__________

            "Damn it!"  Griss hissed as they entered the shade of the jungle, "I think someone saw us, a man was just entering the front yard when we were climbing the hill!"

            "Well," Kix said, "they'd probably track us anyway, regardless.  I'm sure Melchet will figure out we have the Compendium pretty quickly when he can't find it, so we'd better move as fast as we can."

            The way was fairly clear at first, Kix leading with Mabel in the center, Griss bringing up the rear with Ick and Rikky scouting.  But soon the underbrush began to thicken; and while the kobolds didn't have much trouble, Mabel was soon breathing heavily and sweating profusely in the humid heat.  After continuing gamely for some time, she finally sat down on a log, and said,

            "Look, there's no way I can keep up with you two, I'm just slowing you down.  You need to take to the trees, there's no way they can follow you that way.  I'll find a good hiding place and lay low; I know this area quite well.  There are some large deadfalls and caves nearby; they'll never find me there.  Then once things have calmed down I'll go back to the village."

            "NO!" Kix hissed in alarm, "We can't just leave you here!  Not in the jungle, not with Melchet chasing us!  Griss, tell her!  Griss!?"

            Griss gave a sad hiss, and said, "I hate to agree with her, but she's right.  They'll catch all of us if we keep moving like this.  Melchet is only interested in the book, and he can literally smell the magic aurora it gives off, so he'll keep chasing us.  Chances are they'll just ignore Mabel entirely.  He can probably track it even thought the treetops, but at least we'll be able to travel much faster than a party on the ground, maybe even lose them entirely."

            "But Griss!"  Kix hissed anxiously, "We can't just leave her!  She's our FRIEND!"

            "Look dearie," Mabel said, "you know I'm right.  We'd all get caught, and that horrible man would have the Compendium.  We can't let that happen, it would be disaster of epic proportions.  If he does catch me, what can he do?  I don't know anything about the book, so can't tell him anything of use."

            They all froze as a distant shout came from behind them, then with a sad hiss Kix took one of Mabel's hands, and said, "We don't want to do this." Griss hissing softly in agreement.

            "I know," Mabel said, "bless your little hearts.  And you take Rikky with you; he and Ick will help keep you warned of any danger.  Now go on, git!  I'll be OK!"

            As Mabel turned and pushed into the brush Kix and Griss looked at one another, and then turned and climbed the nearest tree, Ick close behind.  Rikky hesitated, turning his head back and forth between Mabel and his mate, and then with a sad hissing wail he turned and followed his mate.

                                                The End