He faintly remembered learning that most magical creatures don't like steel or iron.
Finally, Grogg smiled and looked up at Aidan, who could feel the anger rising past the safe zone.
"You can't kill me," it said, in a voice that sounded like some sort of cross between a hiss and an old man, "because I have already possessed your friend. The moment you touch me, my pet will try to kill you. And you don't want that."
It took all Aidan had to keep from thrusting his staff into the monster.
"I could make it seem like an accident. He would never know I did it."
The creature actually laughed.
"Yes, but then he would go insane. You would be left with a raving lunatic, bound to a dead goblin. Do you know how many times sorcerers have tried necromancy and failed?"
Aidan was beginning to feel very powerless.
"I'll make a deal with you," Grogg said, "If you leave me alone and let me have my way, then eventually I'll break the bond with your friend. But if you do anything to endanger me, then I will make my pet hate you so much that he will kill you or die trying."
Aidan was speechless.
"Oh, hey Grogg. Is everything alright?" Timothy was sitting up in his hammock, awakened by the noise.
The tiny beast looked up at Aidan. "Deal?" it whispered.
Aidan could think of no way out, and he was so angry that if he didn't stop talking soon he would roast the pest.
"Deal."
"Everything is fine, master," The goblin called, running to Timothy's pack.
Aidan finally fell into his hammock, but he barely slept at all. He was too worried about getting his throat slit in the middle of the night.
The next day was a struggle for Aidan just to stay awake. They no longer saw pines in the forest and were now entering woods where the leaves were already turning red, yellow, and brown.
He had Timothy stop early to set up camp at the first nice looking clearing he saw.
This turned out not to be such a good idea, as there was a small pond roughly twenty feet from the hammocks that was attracting mosquitoes by the thousands. Aidan woke scratching dozens of bites.
It was on that day that Aidan realized they were being followed.
There were subtle signs, a rustle behind him or a snapping twig. If Aidan had not practically lived in the woods his whole life he would think he was imagining things. As it was he knew that they were being tracked, but by whom or what he did not know.
He did know that sleeping in the open would be a bad idea, and so he pushed himself and Timothy as hard as he could.
It was towards the evening, right as the sun was starting to go down, that Aidan noticed the road change under his feet. Whereas before it had been overgrown cobbles, it was now made of some sort of gravel. It was not long after that Aidan started to see symbols carved into the trees.
"Do you feel that?" Timothy asked as they approached a more newly carved chunk of wood.
Aidan could feel it. It was almost like an emptiness in the air around the tree. It felt lonely, but at the same time free.
"An amogh was here not five minutes ago. They literally repel magic."
The boys could feel the power reenter the area even as he stood there.
"Come on, let's get moving," Aidan said, walking back onto the road.
"Actually, you're not going anywhere," said a voice behind him, "Drop your weapons."
Aidan spun around, staff at the ready, and stopped.
His nose was less than three inches from a barbed, gleaming arrowhead.
10
"I said, drop your weapons." Timothy spun around so that he and Aidan were back to back. Aidan knew immediately that they were outnumbered. There seemed to be a man behind every tree, all of them armed. They were wearing some sort of clothing that blended into the forest, if they stood still Aidan could barely see them.
"This is the last chance you get. Drop your weapons, or I will put my arrow through your skull."
The man who said it was the only one who had stepped out of the woods. He held a huge, curving bow, drawn back to the fullest extent. Aidan doubted that even the Rangers could hold a bow that large so steadily.
Not knowing what else to do, he let his staff fall to the ground, and a moment later heard Timothy's hit a pile of leaves.
"Now your packs."
Even the man's face was covered in the strange garments, so Aidan could not tell what he looked like. He did know that the man was about twice his size and a head taller, and was holding a giant weapon.
The young mage slipped off his pack and let it fall to the ground.
"Now what is it that you seek, coming to our home with weapons in your hands?"
"Actually," Timothy said, "those aren't weapons, those are our staffs. You see, we're-"
"I know what you are, sorcerer." the man said. Aidan was sure if could have spit at them he would.