Those Who Dare: Book 1

Episode 2: The Lifeless Road

"The Lady!"

Uriah fought to wake his body along with his mind as he pulled his arms beneath him. He grunted in irritation under his own weight as he heaved himself out of the dirt and onto his arms.

"Caleb!" he growled. The detective forced himself onto his unsteady feet as his companions also struggled to come to. Well, Omar struggled. Bianca, for some reason, sat bolt-upright on the ground with her invitation crumpled in her hand.

He jumped at the sudden snort of a beast and spun around to see a dark-brown warhorse, a shrouded figure on its back. The figure seemed taller than the animal itself, a pair of menacing red eyes all that was visible from beyond the black cloak. The horse stomped certainly as its rider adjusted his stature to better observe the group, his great sword menacingly strapped to the side of the saddle.

Uriah immediately assumed a defensive position and fought to keep his legs under him. He was fairly certain that it wasn't him, but he didn't want to take that chance. He felt his muscles tense in preparation and his breathing eased. His heart threatened to shatter his ribcage, but it remained steady. If the figure moved the wrong way, he'd –

"Oh!" Bianca exclaimed. "Hi, Jethro!"

Uriah felt his muscles relax as most of the tension evaporated from his body. He glanced at the she-elf, shocked, an instant before his legs gave way and the ground met his rump.

"Who are you?" A deep voice bellowed from under the shroud, confused. Somehow, this put Uriah's fears at more ease.

"It's Bianca," the elf answered simply. "We worked together once. Remember? We hunted the crazy short guy?"

A large, gray hand moved from the reins to the hem of the hood and pulled it back to reveal a grayer face with simple near-black tattoos on the scalp and chin. The menacing red eyes faded into a more stoic but nonetheless confused amber as the goliath looked at the group studiously. Finally, he blinked in recognition.

"Oh," he said, "I remember." He pointed to Omar. "You're the foolish one." The finger moved to Uriah. "You're the nosy one. And you," he turned to Bianca, "are the weird one."

"That's a really nice thing to say," Bianca smiled.

The goliath raised a confused eyebrow. "I don't think that it is."

Omar grumbled as he sat up on the ground. "Why does everyone assume I'm the stupid one?" he complained.

"Need I remind you?" Uriah jabbed as he stood.

"You could shove it," the tiefling bit back. The tip of his tail twitched back and forth irritably as he struggled to stand. "Where are we?"

The detective sighed as he stared emptily at the lifelessness of the environment. The greyscale forests and pale dirt path were as real as the sunless sky above. No more than a couple miles west, if his memory served him well, was the town of Reyn: the "welcome center" for all who would enter this domain. Home at last indeed. Thankfully, he didn't have to say it.

"Welcome to Dorguru," Jethro announced, a constant boredom mixed with the genuine welcome. "Your new life."

Omar blinked in disbelief. "I'm sorry, what?"

"No one comes into Dorguru," Uriah explained, his voice weighted, "and leaves. Not without permission from the Lord of the Land at least."

Bianca tilted her head in confusion. "But," she mused, "your friend Caleb came for us, and he's from here, isn't he?"

"That's because he's one of the people of the Road," he explained, a bitter taste in his mouth from the betrayal. "They have a deal with the Lord of the Land that allows them to come and go as they please."