by Ben Hale
Lorica talked to Shadow, her special cloak fluttering in the breeze. Now head of the Assassin’s Guild, the woman retained her persona, the Angel of Death. She was formidable and fearsome. More importantly, she hated Serak, and had become friends with Shadow.
The last two members of their group were the strangest. Sentara, once a woman named Marrow, and Rune, her young charge, who had bonded to the Unnamed, a woman of tremendous magical power.
“What are you thinking?” Mind asked.
Elenyr gave a wry smile. “That Draeken has chosen his generals, but I prefer mine.”
“We can defeat him,” Senia said.
Elenyr faced the elven woman. As the current oracle, Senia had the power of farsight, allowing her to see glimpses of the future. Against Serak and Draeken, she was their most powerful weapon.
Jeric approached and shook his head. “Our assumption seems accurate. Draeken gave her the cloak and it turned her into Famine.”
“Then her will belongs to Draeken, now,” Senia said.
“I don’t understand how that’s possible,” Mind said. “No magic exists that can rob a man of his will. It’s one of the immutable laws of magic.”
“Perhaps he’s not using magic,” Elenyr said.
“You think it’s krey technology?” Senia asked, looking to Jeric.
The krey masquerading as an elf shook his head. “The Krey Empire cannot control another’s will.”
Elenyr pondered the mystery power as the others argued its source. It did not come from Draeken, for Serak had turned Gendor and Bartoth into generals before Draeken had become whole. Regardless of it source, Elenyr recognized the need to fight Draeken and Serak on several fronts.
“We must part ways,” Elenyr said.
“When we left Blackwell Keep you said we should stick together,” Jeric said.
Elenyr glanced to Mind and he inclined his head. He knew why she’d spoken as she had. After the separation, the fragments had been weakened, and if Draeken or Serak had sought to kill them at that time, they would have been defenseless. Staying together in a single body, they’d kept themselves safe. But now her sons had returned to strength—not their former power, but sufficient to defend themselves if Draeken sought to assassinate them.
Mind frowned. “Our adversary is cunning. If we do part ways, each group must be strong enough to stand against him .”
Elenyr noticed how Mind didn’t mention Draeken by name, but his jaw clenched and he looked away. He still blamed himself for stripping the fragment of Power from the fragments. Elenyr agreed to his suggestion.
Are you certain we can trust everyone present? Mind spoke into her thoughts, his eyes flicking to Tardoq.
“I am,” Elenyr spoke aloud.
“We cannot risk failure,” Mind said.
Elenyr regarded him for a moment, and then said, “His actions reveal his character.”
Jeric overheard the conversation and joined them. “Perhaps it’s time I bring in more Eternals.”
Anger pricked in Elenyr’s heart and she leveled a finger at him. “You and your Eternals claim to protect Lumineia, yet you have failed to protect us from the Krey Empire.”
“What are you talking about?” Senia asked.
Elenyr pointed upward. “Serak was not born on Lumineia, he came through a Gate. He came from the Empire.”
Jeric’s eyes widened. “Is that true?”
Mind scowled, and Elenyr gave an apologetic look. He’d shared what he’d learned from Serak in confidence, but Elenyr had grown tired of secrets. Perhaps they were the very reason they stood on the brink of war.
“It’s true,” Mind admitted. “Guildmaster Elsin of the Verinai tried to open a Gate and a handful came through, Serak among them.”
Senia cursed under her breath, and Elenyr raised an eyebrow to the woman. As the sole oracle of Lumineia, Senia had been taught her entire life to hold a certain moral standard, one that did not include swearing. She grinned sheepishly.
“We need to part ways,” Elenyr repeated. “We need to attack Draeken and Serak on multiple fronts.”
“But how?” Senia asked. “And who?”
Jeric shuddered. “It’s like getting picked last for Welfall.”
“Welfall?” Elenyr asked.
“A game for young krey,” Jeric said. “I won’t bore you with the details, but I was not the most athletic of youths. It was decidedly unpleasant.”
Elenyr frowned and considered the gathered group. She liked the idea of her and Shadow infiltrating Serak’s ranks. Both of them were skilled at deception, and she appreciated the need for subtlety. But what about the others?
As she considered the options, she noticed Light playing with a small object he’d found in the ash. It flickered bright orange as it rotated. Her eyes widened and she hissed the others to silence. Without explanation, she bolted for Light and caught the spinning object.
Light protested, but she urgently motioned him to silence. Then she waved her hand, summoning the entire group while she continued to use hand signals to request them not to speak. When Mind stepped close, his eyes widened and he spoke into her thoughts.
Is that a listening mote?
It is, she replied. Can you tell the others not to speak at all?
You think it’s from Draeken. Mind scowled but nodded, and the confusion on the other faces evaporated.
He lived inside you and the fragments for ages, Elenyr said. He knows how you think. But perhaps we can use this to our advantage . . .
“Hello Elenyr,” the object spoke in her hand.
She grimaced at Draeken’s voice. It was similar to the voice of her sons, yet darker, more sinister. The other fragments scowled, while Senia cursed again. Elenyr glanced her way but the oracle jerked her head, a touch of guilt on her features. She hadn’t noticed the mote in her farsight.
“Draeken,” Elenyr replied evenly.
“I like your plan,” he said. “Divide and attack me on multiple fronts. It may be destined for failure, but it’s rather clever.”
Elenyr grimaced as she realized Draeken had overheard their plan. “I take it you have joined with Serak?”
“He’s spent five thousand years building a plan for me,” Draeken replied with a laugh. “It would be rather rude of me to deny him.”
The orb in her hands flickered and she dropped it onto the ground. It landed in a puff of ash and smoke, and then light seeped from the interior, rising and shaping into the body of Draeken. The entire group reached for weapons but the mirage rotated in place, a smile on his lips.
“Your alliance is adorable.” He swept a hand to Lorica and Tardoq. “Such a motley collection of individuals. You’re like a pack of mongrel dogs.”
“We’ll see who’s the dog by the end,” Tardoq said evenly.
Draeken burst into a laugh. “I know I should just kill you all, but I admit a trace of the fragments remains in my flesh, and I’m fond of you.” His eyes settled on Sentara and he smirked. “Some of you anyway.”
“I live to be annoying,” Sentara said.
“Are you going to open the Dark Gate?” Rynda asked.
“Your bluntness is legendary,” Draeken said. “And I will be blunt in turn. The Dark Gate belongs to me now, and as you know, I require one more general before it can be opened. I do look forward to seeing you across the battlefield. I’ll even keep Gendor from assassinating you.”
“You just want to watch us die.” Tardoq folded his arms.
Draeken shrugged, his expression guilty. “True. Enjoy the war, former friends. I promise I will visit your graves when it’s over, if I’m not too busy being king of Lumineia.”
He winked and the image faded. Rynda promptly stomped on the ball of magic, shattering it into dust. Elenyr’s dread mounted until the fragment of Fire began to laugh, his eyes glowing with anticipation. The others stared at him as if he’d gone mad, but Fire pointed to the broken listening mote.
“Draeken may know us,” he said, “but we know him.
That arrogance? That used to be part of me.”
“He has my sense of intrigue,” Shadow said, nodding.
Mind looked to Elenyr, the determination on his features giving her hope. “Let’s put the dog in his place.”
Elenyr smiled at his words. “Draeken thinks his reign is about to begin. Let’s make certain we see its end.”
Chapter 2: Forewarned
Senia fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Elenyr caught her hand and helped her to her feet, shifting her so she sat on the old mine cart. She opened her water skin and gave it to the oracle, who thanked her with a nod.
“What did you see?” Mind asked.
“It is as you suspected,” Senia said. “Ten days from today we will arrive in Keese, but we will be too late. We will only find ashes, and the Raven will have already been turned into Famine.”
Elenyr passed a hand over her face, as if the motion could stave off the rising weariness. Senia had been exploring the future for days now, and had yet to find a possible way to stop Draeken.
It had been two days since the group had emerged from the mines of northeastern Griffin, two days since the fragment of Power had been pulled from the fragments in Blackwell Keep. Now Draeken had joined with Serak and become the greatest threat Lumineia had ever witnessed.
“Tell us everything,” Elenyr said.
Senia detailed what she’d seen in her vision, of how they’d hastened west, arriving in Keese in an attempt to stop Draeken from taking the woman as his third general. She described the failure and the devastated estate in vivid detail, prompting Rynda to fold her arms.
“It’s been two days since we exited these blasted mines, and all we’ve done is sit here while you examine our future failures.”
“She’s doing the best she can,” Rake said, kneeling beside the oracle.
“It’s not good enough,” Rynda said, stabbing a finger at the oracle. “You’ve looked into a dozen futures and what have we learned? Nothing.”
“That’s not entirely accurate,” Mind said.
“Oh?” Rynda swept her hand wide. “Then enlighten me.”
Mind offered a faint smile. “Senia has looked at what we’d thought would be our best options.” He ticked them off with his fingers. “A direct attack against Draeken and Serak at Xshaltheria. Joining the army at Keese and fighting Xshaltheria. And attempting to stop Draeken at Keese—with a few of us, and the entire group. Each time she has seen failure.”
“She cannot foresee my effort to recruit the Bonebreaker,” Tardoq said.
Elenyr looked to the large dakorian, her voice turning apologetic. “Her farsight is limited by indecision.”
Tardoq held her gaze and then turned and exited the mine entrance. Elenyr winced, wishing she could have said it more softly. Tardoq had once served Wylyn, and if he returned to the Krey Empire, he might betray them all, leading to a worse fate than if Draeken succeeded. Rynda glared at Elenyr and then followed him out.
“I can try again,” Senia said weakly.
“You’ve searched the future enough,” Elenyr said. “And you are getting weaker. I believe the time of decision has come.”
“What do you think we should do?” Rake asked.
“I’m not sure,” Elenyr said. “But time advances without our actions, and our fate approaches. We must make a decision.”
She retreated to the back of the cavern and sank onto a seat where the stone had been cut, making a rough bench. With a sigh, she leaned against the cold rock and surveyed those in the cavern, her allies, her friends, her family.
The mine entrance was small, about the size of a small tavern. Mine tracks extended into darkness, the metal cankered with rust, the wooden underlay long since rotted away. A pair of mine carts lay on their sides, a touch of frost on the wheels where snow had blown into the entrance.
In the clearing beyond, the snow had begun to melt, patches of grass showing through. It wouldn’t be long until the branches began to blossom, and the snow in the canyons turned into raging streams and brooks. Then the army at Terros would march on Xshaltheria, and the new spring earth would see the spilling of blood.
Assassins and mages, soldiers of the Krey Empire, Eternals, and her five sons. Just sixteen allies against Serak, the Father of Guardians, and Draeken, the fragment of Power. If that wasn’t enough, Serak had two mind mages in Zenif and Zoric, as well as a red dragon, two powerful generals in Bartoth and Gendor, and soon they would add Famine to their forces.
Mind claimed a seat at her side. “I don’t need to read your mind to see your despair.”
“I’m just worried,” Elenyr admitted.
Her eyes settled on Fire. The fragment spoke with Water, the two speculating on the fourth and final general, the one they only knew as Plague. If they could discover their identity, perhaps they could stop Draeken from claiming the final general.
Mind followed her gaze. “You do not need to worry about us.”
“You’re more vulnerable than ever,” Elenyr said. “You cannot stop me from worrying.”
“Look at Light,” he said. “Do you notice anything different?”
She spotted Light at the opposite side of the cavern. He’d conjured a pick axe out of light and begun striking the stone wall, getting excited when he found a glimmer of ore. Willow stood at his side, encouraging him, even though the ore was probably nothing. The dwarves would not have left anything behind.
Elenyr shrugged. “He’s as impulsive as ever.”
“Perhaps,” Mind said. “But look at how he sees Willow.”
“We both know he loves her,” Elenyr said.
“But now they get to be together,” Mind said.
Elenyr finally understood his meaning. “Now that he is mortal, he can live a life with Willow?”
“Exactly,” Mind said. “I may have ensured our deaths, but at least they will get a chance to be happy.”
She shifted in her seat. “Not you?”
“I’ll be happy when I’ve destroyed Draeken for good.”
Elenyr didn’t comment on his dodging the question. Mind wanted to buoy her spirits, even when his own features were tight with doubt. Mind had given Draeken his freedom, but if he had not acted, the five fragments would have been killed. She hoped that in time he would recognize he had made the right choice.
“We cannot keep using Senia to find a future that works,” Mind said, lowering his voice. “She cannot sustain that level of magic, and she is not gifted in farsight.”
“That is true,” Elenyr said. “But we’ve already looked at the various paths.”
“And parting ways will make us too vulnerable,” Mind said.
Senia’s head snapped up. “What did you say?”
Mind frowned. “We discussed this. If we split up, Gendor and Bartoth will hunt and kill us one by one.”
“No,” Senia said. She put her hand on the cart and stood, Rake ducking under her arm to help. “In that last vision, Draeken left a monitoring mote so he could listen to our plans. He claimed that he would not send his generals to kill us because he wants to witness our demise.”
“I know that arrogance,” Fire said, drifting closer. “It used to be mine.”
“Not all of it,” Shadow said with a smirk. He detached himself from the darkness behind Elenyr and Mind, where he’d been listening to their conversation. He grinned at Mind’s annoyance and plopped down between them.
“Why didn’t you share this before?” Rynda asked, standing in the doorway. Tardoq joined her.
“Because I was trying to keep track of the entire vision,” Senia said tersely. “You want to try?”
Elenyr rose to her feet, a touch of hope in her chest. “We can divide, at least for now, and seek all four paths.”
“The path of war,” Rynda said, a smile on her face. “I can handle the alliance at Terros.”
“The path of the gate,” Willow said quietly. “We have to close the Dark Gate, permanently.”
“The path for aid,” Tardoq
rumbled. “I will seek the Bonebreaker’s help.”
“And the path of assassins,” Shadow said. They all looked at him and he shrugged. “What else would you call it? We have to kill the four generals.”
“Our foes will likely be focused on the war,” Mind said. “We should place our strongest forces there.”
“You should hunt the horsemen,” Water said to Elenyr. “You and Shadow are best suited for infiltration, and that journey will likely require you to enter Serak’s fortresses.”
“I’ll go with Tardoq to the Krey Empire,” Mind said.
Elenyr spun to face him, surprised by his offer. “You want to go to the Empire?”
It was undeniably the most dangerous of the paths. In the Empire, humans were slaves, and Mind would be regarded as such. And if Tardoq betrayed them, he would be imprisoned and they would attempt to discern the source of his power.
Jeric’s eyes hardened and settled on Tardoq. “I don’t trust Tardoq enough to take him back to the Empire.”
Tardoq did not retreat. He’d once been their foe, but now stood as an ally. Yet Elenyr knew the risk. Allowing Tardoq to return to the Krey Empire could very well ensure their destruction. If Tardoq told the Empire about Lumineia, an armada would arrive in their skies.
“It is the one option Draeken and Serak will not consider,” Elenyr said.
Fire stabbed a finger at Senia. “The oracle said she cannot see beyond indecision. We cannot trust Tardoq.”
Rynda growled at Fire’s words. “You would speak of him as if he were not here?”
“Would you rather we lie behind his back?” Fire asked. “I thought that was the reason you hate men.”
She snorted but did not refute his statement. Elenyr watched Tardoq. The dakorian had been a soldier for the Empire for ages, and his entire life had been an oppression to mankind. Could they trust him?
“This is foolish,” Jeric said. “Tardoq is a Bloodwall. For us to trust him is like putting a snake in your coat and hoping he won’t sink his fangs into your flesh.”
“We cannot risk failure,” Mind said.
“So you trust him?” Jeric asked.
Mind regarded him for a moment, and then pointed to Elenyr. “I know Elenyr does, and I trust her.”
