“Someone’s coming!” said Clarissa. She stared out with her water whip ready for a few seconds, then said, “It’s Eu-Sook!”
She ran up to her so she could spread her ice over a long ditch between us and the rider. Eu-Sook crossed over and I went to meet her.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“Fine, Your Highness. My prana is low, that is all.”
“Catch your breath. There might be a little more fighting soon. Did you see how far the thralls are?”
“Not far at all, but the layout of the hills has helped scatter them.”
“Uh, more people are coming,” said Clarissa.
Two of these people were on foot, but another somehow still had his horse beneath him. I had them join the survivors, who were now climbing down a relatively smooth section of slope to move closer to the sea rather than the lighthouse. A second group of Jegeru citizens included Aritomo.
Slowing his brisk jog to match our fast walking speed, he said, “I’ve never ran… so much… in my life.” A dying scream echoed nearby. “Damn, that sounds like Yimu-Kun.”
“I’m sorry about taking away the air support from your men.”
“I’m sure you thought it necessary… I assume it had something to do with those two big dead ghouls I passed.”
“Yes. Hopefully we do not encounter any more of them tonight.”
Several more men exhausted from their incessant run reached us, a small wave of thralls right behind them. Spikes of ice and rock spun through the enemy, though with Aritomo’s men still clambering among the hills, I told Clarissa and Gerard to abandon the attack or risk impaling humans. The pattern of a human or two being chased by thralls repeated itself over the next few minutes. Mixed in with the pleasure of seeing someone saved from their relentless pursuers, came the disappointment of hearing the wails from those that just missed finding refuge.
“There’s a bunch of thralls incoming,” said Clarissa. “Over twenty for sure.”
“Get your men to form a line behind my group,” I told Kagemori. “Take care of any thrall that gets passed us.”
He nodded and proceeded to do what I ordered. Seconds later and my group’s ranged spells struck their first targets. Hanying and I didn’t involve our weapons until they came closer. From there it was a matter of choosing when to attack an enemy or letting the line behind us handle them. My shield was especially useful in directing a thrall to an area I wanted. That said, the fact that my ward wobbled with any little bump from a thrall showed just how low in prana I was getting.
A few griffins returned as we finished fighting off the latest wave. They left a pair of survivors for us to defend. Needless to say, as far as I was concerned, there was no longer a big difference between protectors and survivors.
Nearing the shore, Clarissa looked up and said, “There’s another horde coming down. They’re pretty spread out, but it’s a group at least twice as large as the last one. You know, it’d actually be funny seeing the thralls tumbling down the hill if most of them didn’t get right back up.”
“I can’t even remember the last time I laughed,” said Hanying.
“Hmm, me neither,” said Ghevont. “Perhaps I should study humorous literature.”
“I’m certain we can get Mercer to tell us some jokes once we find each other again,” said Clarissa.
“Why are we talking about this?” asked Gerard. “What’s the plan?”
“There’s no choice but to make our stand by the shore,” I said.
“I can barely keep standing,” said Hanying.
“I don’t think we have to keep fighting,” said Clarissa.
“What do you mean?”
“Water spells are a lot easier to cast when there’s actually a lot of water nearby. I’m sure I can create an ice wall around us. That should be enough to hold back regular thralls. Get everyone bunched up and as close to the water as possible. Leave the rest to me.”
Twenty yards later and everyone got their feet wet in the rocky shore filled with puddles. With the next wave less than thirty rapid heartbeats away, Clarissa worked quickly to grab all the seawater she could. She rose two walls of water until they stood ten feet high and curved into the sea behind us. The liquid walls met and merged in front of us, then the vampire started to freeze thousands of pounds of water large chunks at a time. Though nowhere near as accomplished with water spells as the vampire, Ghevont relieved a bit of her burden with his own magic.
The first thralls crashed into the ice wall as Clarissa finished freezing the water wall. She even went as far as freezing the part of the sea that her perimeter couldn’t exclude. She had looked so energized when she embarked on her defensive goal, but as soon as ice surrounded us on every side, my drained friend fell on her knees. Every breath she took seemed to fill her lungs a spoonful beyond their capacity.
Putting my hands on her back, I asked, “Are you all right?”
“I’m… fine… Just got… a little dizzy.”
“Don’t push yourself that hard next time. We could have handled a few thralls coming in.”
“Mercer gave up… half his soul… to protect us. Getting a little dizzy… is nothing.”
I couldn’t argue with her logic, especially when her fortification was working so well. The thralls couldn’t bash through the thick ice, and they had even less success scaling the slippery walls. Still, with dozens of thralls clambering and knocking each other around to get their chance to strike the ice, unsettling sounds of ice chipping and cracking pervaded our sanctuary. No doubt the thralls could break through if given the time, but our griffin allies were not going to give them the opportunity.
The limited space within the ice walls forced only a single griffin to enter at a time. As a result, it was a little bit of a wait for that last person to be rescued. Gerard made himself that person.
Chapter Twenty-Three
After the griffin riders asserted that every survivor had been plucked from the hills and lighthouse, the ship’s captain gave the order to head back to Nattu. Except for accepting a few grateful words from Jegeru’s people, I had nothing more to do on the ship. Without the responsibility of keeping myself or others alive, my muscles and brain unstiffened, bringing in the unstoppable need to sleep. The captain let me borrow his quarters and narrow bed, prompting a swift entrance into the domain of the impossible.
At around noon, my body awoke when it felt it necessary to recover my strength with food rather than extending my shut-eye. I went above deck to eat my slice of ham and buttered bread under the sun. While there, I learned from Gerard that a messenger griffin from Nattu had arrived early in the morning looking for the latest information to take back to the Wregor prince. However, the messenger came with a message of his own—the Jegeru prince had died. He succumbed to his disease mere hours after we left the island.
I sighed. “So even coming back with a full crystal wouldn’t have changed his fate… Gods guide his soul… Ghevont, how much nismerdon prana did you obtain?”
“About a third as much as I had before yesterday. The high thrall in particular contributed a healthy amount of it.”
“Is that enough to cure another person of the desiccation disease?”
“Assuming their condition is not in an advanced state, yes.”
“Then we can save another member of Wregor royalty,” said Gerard. “Prince Ashina will be glad to hear that.”
“It’s still a matter of determining the importance of one life over another,” I said. “There remains a young girl with the sickness, but the emperor may choose his own wife over the girl. Or maybe Satiko’s brother means more to the empire.”
“If Wregor supported us with more men in the first place, we might have already absorbed plenty of prana to go around.”
“True. At least we have a better idea what we’re up against once we do get an army in Jegeru.”
“But there’s a good chance what we experienced was only the tip of the iceberg. There could be armies of
thrall beasts out there. Not to mention the high thralls we fought might come in stronger varieties. The more time that passes, the worse it will become.”
“I’m well aware. The messenger hopefully heard all he needed to hear to give Prince Ashina a good idea of the horror that’s spreading so close to his borders.”
We rested and mingled in the packed ship for the rest of the day. Part of that mingling happened with Hanying soon after he and Clarissa awoke from their sleep. Wanting to share the best food on board with Hanying, I sought him out late in the afternoon.
I found him in a circle of five children on the forecastle deck. A young girl held a small black cat against her shoulder. Seeing me, the little girl walked up and held up her kitten to me, talking excitedly in her language. Some words from Hanying had her realizing that I couldn’t understand her. She pulled the cat back to her chest and wore an embarrassed look as she sat back down. I sat next to her, set my tray of food down, and petted the cat.
“Is this the same cat you saved in Uratama?”
“Yes. I’ve been teaching the children to take care of her without being too rough. I’ve always found that taking care of nature’s creatures can help one cope with life’s struggles.”
“It sounds like you have some experience on that front.”
“Nothing quite this extreme, but yes, a struggle here and there.”
I handed the tray of food to Hanying. “Are you hungry? It’s a nice warm bowl of beans and rice, a biscuit, and a cup of the best red wine on board. The cook believed I was going to eat it, so it should be made to the highest standard.”
“Thank you, princess. If you always treat those around you this way, that only makes my current predicament more confusing.”
“What do you mean?”
He fiddled with the biscuit. “Well, I’ve been wondering what to do next, what I even can do next. I feel like the right thing to do is to keep on fighting. The obvious thing would be to ask to join your group, but I’m no brave knight or water bending vampire. I want to throw up every time I remember the enemy we face, and all you are your friends want to do is confront them.”
“I see… Shall I give you my perspective?”
“Please do.”
“For one, I think standing in front of a charging eidolon is very brave. Joining the fight against the thralls was equally so, so don’t sell yourself short. The presence of fear allows courage to exist in the first place. It’s all part of life’s balance. Too much fear and you would have been a paralyzed coward in the face of our enemy, and paralyzed you were not. On the other hand, lacking any fear can lead to arrogant, foolish decisions. Ironically, I would also say my fear of failure helps to keep my fear of dying in check.”
“I don’t feel balanced.”
“It would be odd if you did right at this moment. Anyway, I’m trying to say that you won’t hear me rejecting a request to join me and my friends in our mission. However, I don’t want to be the one to force you to do anything. I would welcome your help, but joining me isn’t the only way to do something worthwhile. You can stay and help your people. You have knowledge that can someday help rebuild the academy, or Jegeru itself. I won’t think any less of you if you stayed out of the front lines. And honestly, whatever you decide to do, you’ll likely end up regretting not choosing the other path.”
“That’s comforting,” he said sarcastically, though the fact he took a bite out of his biscuit implied that my advice comforted him somewhat.
“We all deal with regrets. My current regret is not giving you more time to contemplate on the matter. I’m going to give the riders a couple more hours of rest before I fly to Nattu. I recommend using that time to eat and clear your head. Just remember you’ll be valuable in whatever venture you pursue. I truly believe that.”
Splitting the biscuit with a young boy, he said, “Your advice is much a-appreciated, princess. Thank you.”
Most of the griffin squads and all of my companions stood on the main deck as Orda’s star slowly sank behind the sea.
As a way of giving me his answer, Hanying came up to me and said, “I hope we meet again, princess.”
“Someday I’ll visit Jegeru’s academy once you’ve helped to rebuild it.”
“I look forward to it.”
After a few more parting words from those who would be staying on board for a while longer, the squads lifted us in the air and flew us toward the sunset. Of course, no matter our speed, the sun sunk beneath the water well before we could grab it and pull it back up.
A couple of hours after the water extinguished every ray of sunlight, points of firelight flickered into view. They came from the torches scattered on Nattu’s forts. The griffins not conveying us headed for the end of the island as we dove to greet the land. Eu-Sook’s squad landed in front of the small barred gate. I didn’t want to do it, but seeing as they completed their mission, I dismissed the Jegeru riders. Despite not knowing whether we would see each other again, nobles and soldiers were rarely expected to show any kind of emotional reaction in such situations, never mind that we served different lords in different parts of the world.
So as Wregor soldiers opened the gate, the best I could do to acknowledge all that Eu-Sook and her squad did for me was say, “I suspect your squad would have ridden on the backs of dragons in an age past. May the gods continue to bless your wings.”
“We have only shared in the blessings the gods have bestowed upon you, Your Highness. For the sake of my kingdom, I will pray that they continue to bless your efforts more than my own.”
I watched the whiptails disappear into the overcast night for a moment. Then, when the gate clanged all the way up, I turned around to enter the fort.
Prince Ashina wished to speak with me when I arrived, and me alone. I was thus led into the fort’s war room while the others went to rest in the barracks. Wuhen had been asleep when we arrived, so I had to wait a few minutes for him to join me. When he did, he came in wearing a red tunic under a white robe. I was surprised by how much heftiness his armor had added to his frame, for he looked leaner than I presumed him to be.
Bowing, he said, “Forgive my delay, princess. I’ve never been one to separate myself from my bed easily.”
“Aye. My mother once had my elder sister’s bed replaced with thin animal skins after she missed one too many early morning meetings.”
“My retainers would pour a vase of cold water over my face.”
“I wonder what little miseries we will place on our children.”
“Whatever they are, I can only hope they learn to appreciate them for the lessons they are.” He took a pitcher of water and poured himself a cup. Sitting on my side of the table, he said, “Now then, I’m certain you’ve already heard about Jegeru’s prince, yes?”
“Yes. It’s unfortunate we could not help him.”
“Indeed, but did you even gather enough nismerdon prana to attempt the procedure on someone so besieged by the disease?”
“We absorbed enough to try, yes. Whether we would have succeeded is another matter entirely. Someone else less afflicted may surely be saved, however. Do you know who in your family will be chosen to undergo the procedure next?”
“It will be up to my father, though my mother and the emperor’s sisters will undoubtedly recuse themselves if it meant saving my dear little niece.”
“Sisters? Are you saying Ikumi is also ridden with desiccation spores?”
A sad smile spread on the corner of his lip. “I see. She never mentioned her condition to you. That sounds like her. You know, my younger self used to believe she was the other half of my mother. Satiko has always been a strong, independent woman with a fierce temper, but my aunt is the gentlest, meekest soul I have ever encountered. The only times I’ve even seen her upset is when she argues with my father over possible marriage alliances. She’s won every fight so far.”
“Yet another reason to head back to Jegeru as soon as possible, and with a true army at our backs.”
“To be sure. The messenger came back relating tales of inhuman humans roaming Jegeru lands.”
“And at least two types. Most are people tainted by the giant’s prana implanted in them by the very thralls that attacked them. Master Rathmore believes their main purpose is to absorb their victim’s prana in order to take it to their masters. They are not much of a threat in small numbers, but I imagine there are a great many by now throughout Jegeru. The second kind have been further transformed by the giant’s power. Their height, vine attacks, and purple wards essentially make them nascent giants. The enemy may have even gained the upper hand if one more of these high thralls appeared.”
“Then my messenger did not embellish what he heard. Thousands of monsters are at our doorstep. I wish I could have seen them with my own eyes, but I feared any Jegeru soldiers we encountered would have took to blaming Wregor for their plight, exposing the rescue team to unnecessary danger. That brings me to my next question. There was truly no sign of military resistance?”
I shook my head. “We did not travel too far inland, however. Or the resistance could be happening closer to the capital.”
“Not according to our scouts. We’ve sent aerial squads to Jegeru’s coast, and those that have flown over Watawara have not seen anything resembling military formations. If there is resistance near the shore, it’s being done without a unified command structure. There was some indication that Jegeru’s forces were on the move shortly before the Hoic-Dro attack, but it’s now obvious that movement was on a much larger scale than we initially thought.”
“And they’re either scattered in the winds or fighting monsters to avoid becoming one themselves. Without a doubt the Advent did much to infiltrate and undermine Jegeru’s military before the attack. I’m sure their first order of business was to eliminate any commander whose honor remained intact.”
The Dragon Knight and the Light Page 31
