by Eric Vall
Chapter 1
“Are you two sure this is where he said he was going?” I wiped the sweat off my brow and squinted against the afternoon sun.
“Yep!” Raisa popped the ‘p’ sound and grinned, and her dark crimson hair was like a firebrand in the bright sunlight. “Adyin came to us a couple of days ago and said he wanted to assess the damage of the outer city.”
“He was learning to be a cartographer back home,” Azra added with a casual shrug, “and I think he wanted to map out the area now so we had accurate maps once the reconstruction is complete. I didn’t realize he’d planned on leaving immediately. We would have come with him if we knew.”
Raisa and Azra, architects from Leyte who came to assist with the reconstruction of the city, quickly walked ahead of us and talked amongst themselves. They were both incredibly gifted as architects, but they also had a tendency to be kind of scatterbrained when they were together, which was most of the time.
As if to prove my point, Raisa spun around and continued to walk backwards toward our destination, and she grabbed onto Azra’s arm to let the blue haired male guide her around stray debris while she continued to talk and gesture wildly with her hands.
“What a day to be out exploring!” Nikolaus, the wielder of The Sword of Light, said as he walked to my left. We’d become like brothers in the few weeks since he and his people arrived to assist in the rebuilding of Hatra, and he’d given me permission to call him by his nickname, Nike. Even though he wore a wide smile on his face, I could tell the heat was getting to him, since his brow was damp and his black hair was sticking to the back of his neck.
“I hope we find Adyin quickly, though,” I said as I pursed my lips and looked around the immediate area.
We’d traveled to the outskirts of the city to look for Adyin, one of the scholars from Leyte who’d arrived on the King’s orders. He’d been able to find ancient maps of Hatra from the time before it was destroyed by demons. His findings had been instrumental for the architects and their future designs for the city.
I’d seen him around, but I had yet to hold an actual conversation with him. He seemed like an okay guy though. The two architects had taken him into their group, and he’d become their third member. Whenever I would catch sight of Adyin, Azra and Raisa were never far behind.
Then he’d gone missing two days prior, and almost immediately after they realized he’d never returned, Azra and Raisa alerted me. I’d tried to send him a message with my small, silver dragon, but he never came to answer the call. Nike and I decided to go search for him, and the architects begged to come along to help find their friend, but I had a sneaking suspicion they were more interested in seeing the ruins than finding Adyin.
“This is pretty far from the heart of the city, why would he come out here alone?” I asked as the architects examined a building that was miraculously still standing.
“Adyin is stubborn, he doesn’t like to ask for assistance, even when he needs it,” Azra replied as he knocked on a section of the wall. Then his amber eyes widened. “Raisa, look at the condition of this house! It’s ancient, yet the foundation is still solid! This is amazing!”
“Ohhhh, lemme see!” Raisa gasped as she skipped over some rubble and moved toward him.
“Can we focus on the task at hand?” I reminded them, and I tried not to let my words sound too angry.
Azra turned his attention back to me and winced sheepishly. “Sorry, I really do hope Adyin is alright. It’s not like him to just disappear.”
“How well do the two of you know him?” I asked the two architects.
They stopped their examination of the house and turned to us.
“What do you mean?” Raisa asked as she cocked her head to one side.
“It just seems unlikely he would disappear,” Nike said.
“Yep,” I agreed. “Especially after Aleksey’s betrayal. Is there a chance he was working with The Green Glass Sect and chose to leave before we discovered where his true loyalties lay?”
Raisa stopped and furrowed her brow. “No. Adyin can be kind of a jerk, but he would never betray Rahma. He is a true nobleman, and he lives to serve the King. To betray Rahma would be to betray himself.”
“We don’t know what anyone’s intentions are,” I said. I didn’t mention we thought Aleksey was loyal to Rahma as well, until he tried to kill Natalya and arm the enemy with nearly indestructible weapons.
“Exactly,” Nike remarked. “We can’t be too careful. Now that we know The Green Glass Sect has eyes inside The White Jade Sect, we have to be suspicious of everyone. We can’t let anyone slip past us again. Aleksey’s betrayal is proof traitors can come from anywhere.”
I nodded silently in agreement. As of now, anyone outside of Hatra should be approached and treated with suspicion. We could no longer believe in the best of people.
Azra and Raisa nodded their heads as well and turned back to the house. Then they started scribbling notes on their parchment and whispering to each other about how to build more houses like this one, except even better.
“We should keep walking,” I suggested. “If Adyin is in trouble, he needs help immediately. We can stop by the house again on our way home, after we find Adyin.”
“Ohhh, I can’t wait,” Raisa giggled, and then the architects began packing up their paper and pencils while they chatted with each other about how to restore this area once we’d finished with the heart of the city.
Nike glanced at me and rolled his eyes, and I bit back a smirk. These architects were definitely … dedicated to their craft.
My group eventually came to a small section of the city where the walls had crumbled to dust and the homes were nothing more than piles of stones and wood. The air was still and seemed to echo along the empty streets, and dust from the rubble settled along the stones that were scattered across the paths. The air was stale and dry as it filled my lungs. Doors from a few houses that were still upright were hung loosely along their hinges and squeaked loudly as the wind blew against them. The aqueducts stretched down to this part of the city, but we had yet to repair them, so they were in pretty rough shape as well. This was most likely where Adyin was headed if he’d truly planned on mapping out the area.
Azra and Raisa got distracted once more, and they walked several yards away to examine some of the architecture and to no doubt draw up future plans for this part of Hatra.
“Do you think he would have stopped here?” I turned to Nike. “This is one of the furthest suburbs of the city.”
Nike opened his mouth to respond, but then he froze, and his silver eyes started darting around like he was looking for something.
Before I could ask, I felt it.
It was a presence, but it didn’t feel demonic like the miasma or demons felt. This was different, it was powerful and old, but not as evil.
“What is that?” I questioned. As I settled into a battle stance, more scales rippled down my arms, but I held off on transforming fully into my draconic body for now.
“I’m not sure,” Nike murmured, “but there is no way that it’s good.”
I nodded and raised my voice. “Azra, Raisa! Come over here.”
They both came sprinting over, probably because they heard the urgency in my tone.
“What’s wrong, Lord Evan?” Azra asked, and his brow was furrowed in concern.
“Something is here,” I growled as my eyes scanned our immediate surroundings. “I need you two to stay close.”
The architects’ eyes grew wide, and they nodded as they scooted behind us.
Nike drew his sword, and I followed suit. Then, slowly, we made our way through the abandoned streets.
“Is it a demon?” Raisa asked quietly.
“No,” I whispered, “I’m
not sure what it is.”
Raisa swallowed audibly, and she clutched my arm.
We continued further into this forgotten section of Hatra with no sightings of whatever creature was lurking close by. There were only more dusty streets and decrepit buildings. The creature’s presence seemed to fluctuate, though. Sometimes, it would feel miles away, and then a moment later it seemed like it was right in front of us. It was unsettling.
We passed a small house when Raisa gasped loudly and darted away.
“Raisa!” I yelled and sprinted after her.
She ran inside a doorway, and when I followed her, I found her on her knees by a small pack.
“Lord Evan, this belongs to Adyin.” She stood and handed me the bag, and inside was a stack of parchment, charcoal pencils, a small loaf of stale bread, and a water canteen.
I looked around the small room and noticed a few half-done drawings were scattered around the floor. Nike and Azra came in through the doorway shortly after, and I lifted the pack to them.
“This belongs to Adyin,” I explained, and Nike glanced at the drawings along the floor.
“Well, at least we have proof he was here,” the noble murmured as he walked further into the room and picked up one of the papers. “But why would he leave his pack?”
I crossed to the other side of the room where more papers were spread out, and then I froze. I sniffed the air, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
I could smell blood.
My healing magic reacted instinctively, but I couldn’t sense anyone hurt nearby.
If this was Adyin’s blood, he was either gone from the area or he was dead.
“I’m not so sure he left on purpose,” I muttered as I took another look around the room. The presence from earlier seemed to fade a bit, and I frowned. “But he’s obviously not here anymore. Let’s gather up all of his gear and keep looking.”
Azra grabbed the pack from me and started placing all the drawings inside it. Raisa helped him, and once they were done, we exited the house and continued our search.
“Lord Evan,” Azra started hesitantly once we were back outside, “do you think Adyin is still alive?”
“I hope so, Azra,” I said as I thought of the blood I smelled earlier and looked at the group. “I really hope so.”
We didn’t find any other signs of Adyin while we searched through the village ruins. After an hour of navigating broken pillars and deserted streets, we stopped along the crumbled walls of the city to rest for a moment before continuing deeper into the outskirts.
Then we heard a blood curdling scream.
It had come from the far side of this abandoned section, and all four of us jumped up from our seats and turned toward the sound.
“That sounded like Adyin,” Raisa whispered as her wide brown eyes turned to me.
“Then let’s go find him,” I growled, and rage spiraled through me at the thought of someone hurting anyone under my protection.
My anger pushed me forward, past the others, and my long legs ate up the distance. Another scream echoed through the abandoned buildings, but it seemed to come from the opposite direction, by the wall we were just at. Then we paused as a group when another scream came from far away once more.
Nike looked back toward the wall and then back to me.
“Where do we go?” he asked. “It sounds like there are two of them.”
The group looked to me for answers, and I quickly made a decision.
“We have to split up,” I instructed. “Nike, you go back to the wall. I will continue toward the far side of the village. And you two,” I pointed to Azra and Raisa, “find someplace safe to hide. One of us will come get you once we’re done.”
“But what about you two?” Raisa asked as her concerned eyes darted between myself and Nike.
“I’ll be fine,” Nike smirked, “I’m a Noble of the Sword. I can handle anything.”
“And I’m a fucking dragon,” I added with a dark laugh. “I’d like to see someone take us both down today.”
Nike smiled and turned toward the wall. “Be safe, brother.”
“You too.” I nodded to him.
The architects took off inside one of the rundown buildings for cover, and Nike disappeared back toward the wall.
Another scream echoed through the deserted streets, and I nearly had to cover my head as the noise grated on my sensitive ears. I walked toward the sound, and the closer I got, the stronger the presence from earlier became. I knew I was headed the right way to find whatever was making the noise, I just hoped Nike could find Adyin.
Then a scream sounded again, but this one was further away, closer to Nike than me. I thought about transforming into my dragon form, but I wanted to be able to sneak up on whatever was haunting the outskirts of my city.
Another scream rang out close to me, and I was able to pinpoint the area it was coming from. It seemed like an abandoned smithy, with an open concept for the forge and workbench, but there was also an attached house on the side.
I carefully stepped inside the smithy and it was, amazingly, still somewhat intact. There was a forge, long gone cold, against the far wall and a workbench along the left. A stack of wood was on the right of the forge, and in the center was a giant grinding wheel that was crumbling in places. The smithy seemed to be empty, so I took a step toward the house.
Then I felt the presence grow stronger.
The house was in worse shape than the smithy, yet it was still in better shape than I was expecting, so I opened the door and winced as it squeaked loudly throughout the house. I hesitated for a second, and before I could take another step, a voice broke the silence.
“Help.” It was so quiet, I nearly missed it. “Lord Evan, please.”
It was the same voice that had been screaming.
My dragon instincts took over, and I darted inside the house before I could form another thought. The building was darker than I expected, and I was grateful for my enhanced dragon sight or I would have had trouble seeing. As I looked around, I noticed coverings over the windows and holes in the roof.
“Adyin!” I called out. “I’m here! Are you hurt? Where are you?”
I looked around, but no one was in the main room. A staircase was along the wall going up to the second floor, but it was collapsed halfway through. There was no way Adyin could have climbed up there if he was injured.
I looked around closer before I noticed movement underneath a table.
“Adyin,” I started, and the figure under the table seemed to twitch. “Hey, man. It’s me, Evan. Are you okay?”
Slowly, the figure turned over, and I could just make out Adyin’s face, but his body still seemed to be nothing more than a dark mass.
“Lord Evan, help me,” he whimpered.
I was about to take a step forward when Nike burst through the door.
“Evan, do not trust that vile creature!” His sword was in his hand, and he looked toward the table as his silver eyes narrowed in fury. “Who are you?”
I stared at Nike in confusion for just a moment, but I trusted him. So, I backed away, pulled my sword from its sheath as well, and pointed it at the thing underneath the table.
“Nike, what did you find?” I asked without looking at him. “What happened?”
“That thing,” he spat out the word, “is not Adyin. I found Adyin’s corpse in the cellar of a house near the wall. There were screams coming from his mouth, but his body had been dead for at least a day, possibly more.” Nike pointed his sword toward the creature again. “This creature killed Adyin, and it dares to wear his face as a trophy. It was using his voice to lure us in.”
My rage built up like magma boiling in a volcano. This creature, whatever it was, had not only killed someone under my protection, but it was planning to use him to harm others. I let my hatred run through me as I spoke to the thing under the table.
“Who are you, you piece of shit?” I demanded, and my voice was as cold as ice.
The
creature twitched again and climbed out from under the table. Its clawed, three-toed feet dragged across the floor and made scratches across the wooden planks. Then I realized the black mass wasn’t a mass at all. It was the creature’s body.
The thing crawled toward us until it was completely free from the table, and then it stood on its hind legs.
It was a massive bird-like monster with feathers the color of coal, and it stood about ten feet tall. Its face was an exact copy of Adyin, they could have been twins, besides the fact that one of them was a murderous monster with the body of a bird. The beast spread open its massive wings, and its wing span was easily fifteen feet or more. It had small hooks on the end of each wing, which made it look more dinosaur-like than a bird.
“I have had many names throughout my life,” the monster replied, and it spoke with Adyin’s voice, which royally pissed me off. “The people who lived here a thousand years ago called me Itsumade. I have been sleeping for so long, but the noise from above has finally awakened my spirit, and I once again haunt the halls of this city.”
“How dare you,” I snarled as my knuckles blanched on the hilt of my sword. “The people who live in Hatra are under my protection. You killed someone from my city, and I will make sure you burn for it.”
As I spoke, I summoned my fire, and it sparked to life across my hands.
The Itsumade took a step back and hissed.
So, he didn’t like fire. Perfect.
“Nike, I can handle this guy,” I said as I narrowed my eyes at the beast. “Go find Azra and Raisa and get Adyin’s body. We don’t know if there are more of these fuckers, so I want you to make sure the others are alright. I’ll take care of this bastard, and then we’ll take Adyin’s body back to the city and make sure he is given a proper funeral.”
Nike seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding. Then he sprinted out the door and was gone in a flash.
My flames licked my palms as I took a step toward the Itsumade. It took one step back, and I smirked.
“Why did you come to Hatra?” I questioned.
The creature looked from the fire in my hands to my face.
“I came a thousand years ago, when the city was destroyed,” it hissed. “I could sense the demon horde and was able to sneak in through the walls once the demons broke through. I settled here because so many lives were lost, no one noticed when another life was snuffed out. I was careful, though, I only need to feast once a month or so, and once I had my fill of this quaint village, I dug my way through the earth and into the tunnels that lay below. It was there that I slept until this boy arrived. He was easy enough to trap inside my den. Only a few words, and he was mine.”
