Reborn Raiders (The Weatherblight Saga Book 4)

by Edmund Hughes

  Murmurs of agreement came from around the circle, followed by a question from Kerys.

  “How, though?” she asked. “You’re still using the tone that makes me think you’ve come up with a plan.”

  “Of course I have,” said Ari. “I’m the mighty Lord Stoneblood!”

  He set his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out, ignoring the eye rolls and sighs that came from an audience less easily amused than the children.

  “Here’s the plan,” he said. “Virgil.”

  “What?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  CHAPTER 5

  “Are you certain that this is going to work?” asked Eva.

  Ari stood on one of the sloping cliffs to the west of Etheria, one that he’d chosen specifically because of a dense grouping of trees growing along the edge. He’d taken Virgil and Eva with him, and explained most of his plan on the way.

  “As long as Virgil stays hidden, it should,” said Ari. “You won’t be visible as long as you’re high enough up in the tree. The gazelles will see me and should react appropriately.”

  The idea was simple, though somewhat complicated to execute. It involved relying on Virgil and his mystica to turn what would otherwise be an easily traversable section of trees into two impenetrable walls of foliage.

  Through his magic, Virgil had a basic level of control over trees, shrubs, and vegetation of all sorts. Ari had originally set Virgil to the task of foraging for fruit that would normally be too high up in the branches to be reachable, but he’d realized that the ability had far more uses that they could capitalize on.

  From above, Eva would be able to spot any nearby herds of gazelle across the steppe, and through the bond, she could alert Ari to them without scaring the animals off. The gazelles were fairly common, from what Ari had seen, but almost impossible to catch or corral due to the openness of the terrain. In that specific spot, however, with the trees forming a tunnel and the cliff edge cutting off escape, he was fairly certain that they could hunt at least one or two of the beasts successfully.

  “I can stay totally out of view, Lord Stoneblood,” said Virgil. “Once the gazelles move into the trees, it should be no trouble for me to contain them, either. The walls I make from the tree branches won’t be strong enough to hold them if they make a real attempt at smashing through, but with the cliff on one side, I’m guessing some of them will panic and try to rush down.”

  “Which is when we close in on them,” said Ari. “Got it?”

  Virgil and gave a quick salute, thumping his fist against his heart. Ari grinned and saluted back, and then left Virgil to find his place amidst the bushes, where he could observe and act from out of sight.

  “Now,” he said to Eva, “let’s see about getting you up into the branches.”

  The nearby trees weren’t as suitable for climbing as Ari hoped. He wanted to place Eva up high enough to have a view clear of canopy formed by the treetops, but it didn’t seem like there was a way for her to make it up on her own.

  “I’ll shift into my sword form,” said Eva. “If we time it right, you can throw me into the air and I can shift back to grab one of the upper branches.”

  “That might work,” said Ari. “It sounds kind of risky, though.”

  “As long as you can throw Azurelight accurately, I see no issue.” Eva’s tone had a hint of teasing challenge to it, and she flashed a small smirk before her outline blurred with white light and shifted into the slender greatsword with the flawless sapphire pommel.

  “I should be able to,” he said, catching the blade. “I mean, you certainly weigh a lot less in sword form than you would, uh…”

  “Would you care to finish that thought, milord?” asked Eva, through the bond.

  “I value my life, so no,” said Ari. “Ready?”

  “Ready,” said Eva.

  He took steady footing and sighted one of the branches in the tallest tree nearby. It would make for a difficult throw, but Eva was right. It was probably their best chance of executing Ari’s plan in the manner intended.

  His first throw went wide by a dozen feet or so. The sword spun through the air in a way that made it harder for him to throw it straight than he’d realized. It landed point down in the grass, and Ari stretched his shoulder out as he prepared to try again.

  “Focus on your target,” said Eva. “Try to extend your hands directly toward it as you release.”

  “Yeah, you don’t need to explain to me how to throw something, Eva,” said Ari. “In this case, it’s easier said than done.”

  He missed the next throw by a little less and found himself taking her advice as he prepared again, focusing on his target. He took a couple of deep breaths, calming himself and steadying his grip.

  This time, he kept his eyes on the branch he was aiming for even after releasing. The sword arced upward, and it looked like it was going to miss. Ari waved a hand out toward it, wishing that its trajectory was just a few feet over to the right.

  Azurelight jerked in the air in a sudden, unnatural burst of motion, shifting over toward the spot Ari had been staring at. The blade flashed with light, and Eva dexterously seized hold of the branch, hanging upside down for a moment before shifting to straddle it against the tree trunk.

  “Good work, milord,” she said, through their bond.

  “Did you feel that?” asked Ari. “Right at the end?”

  “I did,” she said. “It was a form of bond ability, similar to how you can summon me to your hand. We should look into experimenting with it when we have the time.”

  “Agreed,” said Ari.

  After checking to make sure Virgil was in place, he headed out of the trees and waited for Eva to announce the position of the nearby gazelle, assuming there were any nearby to find. A few minutes went by with only the sound of the wind rustling through the branches and tossing around dead leaves before he finally heard her voice.

  “To the west,” said Eva. “A pack of at least a dozen. If you loop around between the hills, you can approach from a blind spot.”

  Ari set off immediately, traveling in a wide arc to stay out of both sight and earshot. He paused as he reached the bottom of the hill, knowing that they’d likely only get a single chance with each group of gazelles before spooking them off.

  He took long, bounding steps, assisted by the buoyancy of his Feathercloak. The first of the gazelles came into view as he crested the hill, lifting its head up with a tense, jerky movement and staring right at him.

  The gazelle let out a cry, and the animals took off on a diagonal. Ari didn’t stand a chance at keeping up with them, but he sprinted to the right, trying to keep the pack in between himself and the forest to keep them directed toward the trap.

  He was surprised when it seemed to work, even though it had been his plan to begin with. The gazelles seemed to sense that something was off, but their reaction was to immediately lope toward the cover of the trees. Ari could already see Virgil’s influence on the branches, which all but welcomed the pack in before shifting and threading into the barriers which would keep them from scattering.

  Ari let out a roaring laugh as he sprinted after them. As soon as he was past the first few trees, he heard the branches twisting into place behind him, closing him in as well. The size of the area across which Virgil had applied his mystica was impressive, and he found himself wondering how else they might put it to use.

  He sprinted forward, and the gazelle continued running down the tunnel of branches, toward the cliff. He saw the front few slide to a stop as they reached the edge. One of them tumbled forward as another gazelle collided with it from behind, falling down the steep cliff just as they’d intended.

  “Virgil,” said Ari. “I’m going to rush forward. After we get three, or maybe four tops, let the rest go. We can only carry so much meat.”

  He wasn’t sure if Virgil had heard him or not, but as he charged forward, shouting and gesturing to force more of the gazelles off the cliff and into the trap,
the majority of the group sprinted to the side. A newly formed break in the trees allowed them to escape, but four of the beasts in total took the grisly fall down the cliff.

  Ari paused as he looked down at the handiwork. One of the gazelles was still alive, legs broken and clearly in pain. It was a grisly sight, especially next to the carcasses of what might have been its brothers or sisters, but he knew that hunting was never pretty.

  “It worked,” he called. “We’re all set.”

  Virgil came out from the trees, and Ari summoned Azurelight to his hand and slid the sword into its scabbard.

  “I’ve never used my mystica in such a coordinated way before,” said Virgil. “You’re brilliant, Lord Stoneblood.”

  Ari flashed a smile. “You and Eva did most of the work. I just did a lot of shouting. Now let’s go. Getting them back to the settlement is going to be the hard part.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Two trips and a little over an hour later, Ari stood next to the gazelle carcasses, watching as Durrien and Rin slowly did the butchering a short distance from Etheria’s entrance tunnel. Virgil was nearby, now rejoined by Selene, who held one of his hands.

  “Was a clever plan, lad,” said Durrien. “How did you come up with it?”

  Ari shrugged. “I just gave some thought to what resources we had on hand.”

  He looked back over at Etheria, and felt a kernel of an idea that he’d had earlier expanding into a new, workable solution.

  “Virgil,” he said. “Is there any way for you to use your mystica to make it easier to move trees from one place to another?”

  Virgil furrowed his brow and glanced upward for a moment before giving a small nod. “Yeah, I guess I technically could. It would involve straightening the roots through the soil. There’d still be a fair amount of digging involved, probably more than fair, but I could do it. Why, what are you thinking?”

  “We still don’t have a door,” said Ari. “I’ve been at a loss for how, exactly, we’re going to manage to build one that can properly fill that space, either. The tunnel is what, fifteen, twenty feet high? Even if we snapped our fingers and conjured a door that fit, opening it and closing it would take multiple people.”

  “So…” Virgil frowned and shook his head a little. “You’re saying you want me to build a door?”

  “Not a door, exactly,” said Ari. “More like a fence, an obstacle. Less to keep the cold out and more to ensnare our enemies and slow them down as they try to get in.”

  Ari was under no illusions as to whether trees alone, regardless of the number, would be able to stop a trained Sai army or even a determined-enough group of Weatherblight. Still, it would be better than nothing, and it was a strategy that could scale up. If they wanted to, they could plant a small forest directly outside Etheria’s entrance and force any attackers to run through a gauntlet of the full power of Virgil’s mystica before reaching them.

  Except, Virgil was shaking his head no. “You want me to be the doorman here? Is that what you’re saying? You want me to just… stand around and open the tree branches for people all day.”

  The frustration was open and obvious on the face of the young Sai. Ari held up a placating hand and decided to use a bit more tact.

  “That’s not what I’m saying,” said Ari. “Well, okay, it sort of is. It wouldn’t be a constant thing, Virgil. You could leave the branches open during the day. It would be your sole responsibility, however. You’re the only one here with the power, Virgil. I… no, all of Etheria would be placing their trust, their lives, into your hands.”

  “Nobody told me you were back!”

  Just then, Kerys came out through the tunnel, followed by Fuscia and another of the Ravarian children at her heels. Virgil had looked as though he was about to voice more of his issues with Ari’s plan, but Kerys’ arrival seemed to steal his attention. He stood there, staring, mouth slightly open, and for good reason.

  It was cold outside, and the laundry situation had apparently forced Kerys into wearing one of the tavern dresses she’d brought from Cliffhaven. It was a simple grey slip, with thin shoulder straps, thinner fabric, and a slit running up one of the legs. Her hair fell across her shoulders, and she wore a small, wool sleeve over her injury. Somehow, Ari got the sense that what held Virgil’s attention was the fact that it was rather cold outside, cold enough to elicit gooseflesh and… other bodily reactions.

  “Hey Kerys,” said Ari. “Check out our haul.”

  Kerys’ eyes bulged as she saw the gazelles. “That’s so much food! It’s meat, too, perfect for stews. Ari, this is amazing!”

  “I can’t take credit for this,” he said. “Virgil did most of the work with his mystica.”

  Kerys smiled at Virgil, and Ari bit back a chuckle as he saw Virgil’s eyes snap up from her chest as his face turned bright red.

  “Oh, uh…” he said, mumbling. “It was just… you know. Easy for me.”

  “So about building that tree fence,” said Ari. “I know it would be a lot for you to commit to Virgil, but think of how impactful it would be for the community. I’m sure everyone here would appreciate it.”

  “Tree fence?” asked Kerys. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ll do it!” said Virgil. He let out a goofy smile and scratched his head. “It was, uh, Lord Stoneblood’s idea, but I can explain it to you, Lady Kerys. If you want to hear about it, you know, it’s fine either way…”

  “Sure,” said Kerys. “It looks like some of the meat has finished being cut. Want to help me carry it back to the tower while you explain?”

  Virgil nodded vigorously. Ari had mixed feelings, mainly in regard to how manipulative what he’d just done felt. He’d picked up on Virgil’s boyish crush on Kerys during the first few days of settling Etheria. He hadn’t spoken with Kerys about it, not really knowing if it was a conversation that he wanted or needed to have. She seemed flattered by the attention, but she clearly treated Virgil more like the other children rather than an equal.

  Had they been living in a city, or even back in Golias Hollow, the situation would have been easy to dismiss as an unrequited crush. It was different in Etheria, in a community of barely more than a dozen people, cut off from the rest of the world, surviving on the harsh surface.

  Ari hoped that if Virgil ever did find the courage to express how he obviously felt, Kerys would have the tact to let him down easily. He liked Virgil, both as a friend and as an earnest companion, and he brought serious value to the table through his mystica. The last thing he wanted was to see the young Sai end up with hurt feelings, or more likely, a bitter sense of resentment.

  “Milord,” said Eva, through the bond. She’d shifted back to sword form, and Ari flinched with surprise when he heard her voice. “It looks as though they’ve finished with the butchering.”

  “Right,” said Ari. He drew Azurelight, and Eva shifted back into her incarnate form. Rin and Durrien were already carrying large slabs of gazelle meat down the tunnel. Ari carefully scooped a few pieces from where they’d been set across the inside of the pelts, which would also be put to full use eventually, and headed through the entrance to Etheria.

  The tower had several amenities that were worth their weight in essence, ten times over. The cold closet was one of them. Most of the food that they’d foraged over the past month had either been eaten within a few days of having gathered it or was capable of being dried and stored through simple means.

  The cold closet gave them the ability to store what they would have otherwise been forced to eat quickly or watch spoil. Ari carried his slabs of gazelle meat in through the tower’s entrance, passing them off to Kerys and Fuscia, who’d taken the liberty of organizing their food freezer.

  “It’s going to be a tight fit,” said Kerys. “Dormiar’s teeth, this is so much meat!”

  “We’ll eat some of it tonight,” said Ari. “One of the larger slabs. I think we deserve to indulge, after—”

  He trailed off as an odd, accelerating patteri
ng sound came from above them. It only took him a moment to recognize what it was. It had been a little cloudy on their way back from trapping the gazelle, but Ari had assumed that the rain, if it came, would hold off for a few more hours.

  Kerys tensed up as she came to the same realization. She closed the cold closet and brought her good hand to her injured arm, nervously rubbing her palm over the wool cap she wore on the end of it.

  “We’ll be okay,” said Ari. “This isn’t the first time it’s rained since we’ve been here. We’ll just do what we always do.”

  “Be careful,” whispered Kerys. “Please.”

  She leaned forward and kissed him. Ari let his thumb caress her cheek for a beat before turning and hurrying out of the tower. Eva had set her meat down on the common room table and was already rushing ahead to serve as a tunnel guard for any of the monsters that arrived early.

  “Lad!” shouted Durrien. “Is everyone inside?”

  Durrien carried a massive club made from fire-hardened wood. Other than Ari, few members of the community had weapons outside of similar bludgeons and small, simple daggers. The lack of equipment was one of the first things Ari intended to remedy once they were ready to start branching out with the tower.

  “Kerys is inside,” said Ari. “The children are with her or Grena, I think?”

  He looked over his shoulder. Grena had been playing with the children up on the seating benches surrounding the settlement’s main room and was hurrying toward the tower with them. All of the Ravarian children were there, other than Fuscia.

  Ari spotted Virgil half-leading and half-dragging Selene toward the tower. Rin was heading toward the tunnel with Eva. That accounted for everyone, except…

  “Amber,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

  He took off at a sprint toward the underchamber that Amber and Durrien shared. He was running at full speed and all but slammed into Amber as he reached the open entranceway.

  “Perfect timing!” said Amber. “Here.”