Dawn of the Hunters

by Ryan Wieser

  Her sons leapt forward but Falco had his arm out in an instant and, using the full strength of his Sentio, froze them in place. “Stay out of it, boys.”

  Jessop stared the woman in the eye. She could not feel the burn of the flames and it seemed to her that this was exactly what Octayn wanted to see. “Return my son to me or I swear I will kill you.”

  Hydo moved forward, but Jessop was ready for him. She had her anger and she had her focus. She had the greatest grasp on Sentio any had ever known—she froze him in place, mid-stride beside his sons.

  “Jeco is yours—on one condition.” Octayn answered, her voice strained.

  Jessop waited, refusing to loosen her grip. When Octayn realized she wouldn’t let up, she continued. “Daharia belongs to Taygen, first son of Hydo. Falco must die and leave the Blade to us.”

  Jessop’s own Fire came forth with an alarming fury. It engulfed her and circled around Octayn with a wild force. “You would call me here to threaten Falco?”

  Jessop squeezed tighter and tighter, until Octayn’s knees buckled and her hands were pulling at Jessop’s wrist with futility. Jessop felt strong—her anger gave her power. It had always been a source of great strength to her. This woman had abandoned her, and now, upon first reunion, requested that Falco die to free up his throne for her sons, sons who were not strong enough to fight him. Sons who would not inherit the throne of Daharia over Jeco.

  “Where is my son?”

  Jessop gasped as the force of the hit sent her flying back. She flew into a wall, her body tensing as it made contact. She landed on her feet and saw Hydo holding Octayn up. She had lost her focus and he had taken advantage of it. And she could instantly see his rage. He drew his Hunter’s blade and moved past Octayn with a forceful stride, his gaze stuck on Jessop.

  She drew her own blade, a wave of fire rushing over her as she did so. He waved his hand at her, an attempt at Sentio, but she cut through it with her own abilities. She felt a fluttering in her chest. Her last fight with Hydo had not gone as well as she had once anticipated.

  “You could have killed her!” He struck at her with the same impressive speed and force she remembered from their last fight.

  Jessop spun out of his attack, leaping in the air and connecting a strong hook kick across his jaw. She landed with ease, ready to bring her blade down on him, only to find he had already recovered. He thrust his sword towards her abdomen and she shimmied to the side—but too slowly. She felt the sharp sting as his blade nicked her side.

  “You are a master at Sentio, and better with a blade than most, but I am not most, girl.” He spun in a tight circle before bringing his sword down on her, heavy with the force of all his might. She blocked and kicked him back.

  She knew he was right. She was superior in Sentio—and he was better with the blade. She threw her hand out and froze him in place. He fought at her Sentio and his body began to move, as though in slow motion, to break free from her hold. Her wound was impairing her focus. She knew he had cut her in such a place that she was bleeding profusely. She needed Falco.

  She turned her gaze to him. He could heal her, but not as he held her brothers in place. They held stares for a long moment, and with a sudden bolt, he leapt through the air, landing at her side. He grabbed her and instantly she felt her body begin to stitch back together—and her brothers begin to move. She felt Hydo moving closer and closer. She squeezed Falco’s arm with gratitude as her wound recovered. “Swap!”

  They broke free from one another’s holds just in time to engage. Instantly, a whip stung around her wrist—but she was ready this time. Before she could be burned, she jerked the weapon forward, stepping on it to wrench it free from one of them—Taygen, perhaps. She rolled to the ground and grabbed the whip handle. She shot the weapon through the air, coiling it around two of the brothers. With a wave of her hand, she sent them flying back into the wall, hitting them with enough force to ensure they struggled to get back to their feet.

  The young one leapt at her with a sword and she fought him back with ease. He yelled with each strike, and while he was skilled, he didn’t come close to possessing her experience, let alone the abilities of his father. He jabbed forward, his blade crossing her body, and she grabbed the hilt, spun out and pulled his weapon from him. With a forceful back kick, she sent the young man to the ground. She raised the weapon high above him, but froze. She did not wish to kill the boy.

  “Stop!” Calis leapt before her. He held his hands out. “We are your brothers—we do not need to do this.”

  “Did you know when she beckoned me here that they would only give me my son back in exchange for my husband?”

  His shoulders dropped. He had known. Before they could say anything further, the youngest brother—Axis—lunged past Calis, tackling Jessop to the ground. “You tried to kill my father!” he yelled, his strong body slamming Jessop hard into the stone floor.

  He struck her once and her face stung. She could taste the blood. She shot her hand up, grabbed the side of his head, and slammed him to the side, tossing him to the ground beside her. She was on her feet in an instant and kicked him with all her might, the added force of Sentio sending him flying across the room. She could feel her brothers prying at the corners of her mind, but they had no hope of entering it. Their Sentio did not compare to Hydo’s, and he could not breach her mind in her waking state.

  A whip locked around her waist, and she locked eyes with one of the older brothers who wielded it. “You could rule beside us, sister!” he yelled, as his flame traveled from his hand, over the whip’s handle, and down the bright metal.

  Jessop kicked her leg out and down, her boot landing firmly on the whip, wrenching it to the floor with her strong leg. The weapon loosened from her body. She had the opportunity to fight him—Barone or Taygen, whichever brother he was—but she wouldn’t. She didn’t. She couldn’t. She turned her gaze instead to Hydo. He fought Falco with all his might. They moved in such a similar manner. Falco was younger, faster and stronger. She knew then more than ever that what Falco had been saying all along was true; he could kill Hydo.

  Suddenly, as their blades locked, Hydo grabbed Falco’s arm. Jessop knew instantly what he intended. She jumped onto the table and leapt through the air—just as Hydo’s flames erupted around Falco. He let out a wild scream as his arm burned. Jessop landed heavily, toppling the men to the floor. She latched onto Hydo with unbridled ferocity, rolling with him until she pinned him to the ground. She outstretched his arm, his hand twisted back unnaturally towards the ceiling, and with all her might, she brought her forearm down on him– breaking his sword arm. The crunching of the bone was drowned out by Octayn’s scream.

  The woman’s voice seemed to temporarily freeze them all. She ran across the room making a beeline for Hydo. Jessop leapt to her feet, her sword instantly outstretched with its point nearly touching one of Octayn’s perfect green eyes, forcing her to yield. “Where is my son?”

  Octayn stared at her with rage—with hatred. “You would choose Falco over your own flesh and blood?”

  “Do not lecture me on the notion of family. The Fire means more to you than I ever have.”

  “You wouldn’t have been allowed to rule without the Fire! We had to know.”

  “Falco and I rule Daharia now, remember? No Fire was required.”

  Octayn cocked her head to the side. “I thought you were dead. Had I known otherwise—”

  “You would have what? Found me and asked me about Falco’s power? Told me how you raised sons who weren’t strong enough to take Daharia on their own? Found some other way to manipulate me?”

  The older woman shook her head. “I have done everything I needed to for my son Taygen to rule. The son of the Lord Protector of Daharia and Empress of Bakoran could merge our two territories.”

  “Hydo isn’t the Lord Protector of Daharia. Falco is.”

  Falco got to
his feet, holding his wounded arm tight against his body. Jessop could see the pain he was in, but he still wielded a sword. He looked past Jessop to the Bakora men. “If you want my Blade, come and take it.”

  He took a step towards them. Jessop knew he was not fit to fight further, but Calis and the others did not. They knew of Falco by reputation alone. Jessop watched as they exchanged looks, pushing thoughts back and forth. Taygen took a step forward, willing to fight Falco, when Octayn threw her arm out. “Stay where you are, son.”

  “They cannot fight Falco. They are not fit to rule Daharia,” Jessop spoke.

  Octayn grimaced at the words. “You could be reunited with your family, Jessop. You would have Jeco and your brothers.”

  “Give him back to me.”

  “I wouldn’t harm him. The child of Falco Bane and grandchild of the Empress of Bakoran is most impressive indeed.”

  “I am warning you—”

  “No. No warning anyone. Falco for Jeco. That is my offer. Decide by dawn or meet my army in battle, daughter.”

  Jessop flicked her sword, nicking Octayn’s beautiful face with the blade, just enough to leave a small cut on the woman. “Were you truly my kin, I would have done anything for you. This could have all been different.”

  “Jessop—”

  “Don’t. Don’t make it worse.”

  A tear streaked down Octayn’s face, trailing the blood from the cut down her jaw line. With nothing left to be said, the room began to shake, the world around them rumbling as it fell apart. Octayn stared at her as the dream world began to break.

  Chapter 19

  Haren’dul Daku

  Present Day

  Urdo and Kohl were already cleaning Falco’s arm as he and Jessop awoke in the tent. Jessop bolted upright and leaned over him. His forearm, biceps, shoulder, and part of his chest were burned. She knew he could heal himself but they needed to let him.

  “Stop—stop! Leave him be.”

  The men froze, bandages and fresh water in their hands. Falco writhed in pain, rolling to his side. She lied back down behind him, forcing her chest tight against his back. “Breathe. Just breathe,” she whispered into his ear. He trembled under her hold. “Just breathe, Falco.” His body began to slow, the shakes dissipating as he regained a sense of calm. She breathed with slow deliberation, ensuring the rise and fall of her chest moved him, allowing him the time to fall in sync with her.

  Slowly, they quieted, and he began to heal his body. Eventually, he rolled over to face her. He kissed her forehead. She kissed his chin. They stayed silent for a long moment. It had been horrendous. Hydo lived, Octayn wanted Falco dead, Jeco was still gone. Her brothers ...The youngest had had such anger. They would die to rule a land they had never stepped foot in.

  Falco rolled in to a sitting position, pulling Jessop up with him. “Jessop broke Hydo’s sword-wielding arm.”

  “You fought Hydo again?” Kohl asked, his eyes darting between the two of them.

  They told them everything. They told them of Jessop’s brothers, of Octayn, of the palace, of Hydo and everything that they had said. Urdo shook his head through listening to it all. “I can’t believe it ...All these years,” he whispered, sipping from his flask. “I should have known.”

  Kohl ran a hand through his blond hair. “They want Falco for Jeco?”

  Jessop wrung her hands together. “Falco’s life for Jeco’s safe return—otherwise we meet them in battle at dawn.”

  “Does that mean they’re coming here?”

  “I don’t know,” Jessop said. “Maybe they know we found a Voyager.”

  “I’ll do it.” Falco spoke, his voice pulling their gazes.

  Jessop rested her hand on his. He sat with his tattered, burned tunic in his lap, his bare chest and arm still a bright red from the wound. “What?”

  “I’ll do the swap.”

  It took Jessop a long moment to understand what he was saying. “No. You won’t.”

  “It’s what makes the most sense, Jessop.”

  “That’s madness, Falco,” Kohl barked, shaking his head at his brother.

  Urdo tossed his empty flask down. “We won’t let you.”

  Falco ignored them. “We get Jeco back and we avoid war.”

  She stared at his perfect, scarred face. She studied his deep gray eyes. She saw no confusion in his gaze. He seemed calm and collected and willing to die. Willing to leave her. “Are you out of your mind?”

  He shook his head gently. “It gets our son back safely.”

  “We can get our son back safely—without you dying.”

  “We don’t know that.”

  “Yes—we do!” Her voice was loud, much louder than intended, but she didn’t care. She got to her feet, and at the movement, Kohl, Urdo, and Falco mirrored her. Falco reached for her but she hit his hand away. “Don’t touch me. You would leave me? I just chose you over those people and without thinking you would throw away everything. You’d just give up?”

  “For Jeco? Yes! I’d do anything,” he yelled back. He reached for her once more and she slammed her hands into his chest, forcing him away from her. She ducked out of the tent and into the dark night sky. She took off in the sand, her step light. She had her sword. She had her vision. She didn’t need anything else. She made her way for the tree.

  “Jessop!” Falco yelled after her but she didn’t turn back. She thought of their lives. She thought of their childhoods, spent together in anger. She thought of their transition into young adults, loving each other with such a youthful intensity that they were wildly volatile. She thought of how she had given her body to him and borne him their son. She thought of all the words they had exchanged—the promises and the vows.

  The tears were hot on her cheeks. Her throat was on fire. He would just give it all up, without a fight. Her chest ached. He would rather die than fight for what they had—fight to restore all they had grown together. Her sobs were loud, echoing about her in the dark. She grabbed her heart, willing the tension and fire in her chest to disappear, but it just made it worse. She stumbled, her ankle rolling in the loose sand, and she fell forward.

  Strong hands caught her before she hit the ground, spinning her around. She blinked the tears away and saw Kohl’s beautiful face in the darkness. He had caught her. She knew that the day had finally come where he knew all her secrets. He had seen her in all her forms. He had tested the limits of their relationship again and again—with rage and fire and with love and loyalty. He held her tight against his body. “Jessop—”

  She kissed him. Her hand rested on his face, her thumb tracing the star scar, and their lips moved over one another with a sense of hunger and familiarity—and sadness. Her kiss was wet with tears. He held her in his arms, his body warm as the desert breeze washed over them. He kissed her softly and then pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. “You belong with Falco.”

  She pulled free from his arms. “He doesn’t seem to think so.”

  “Can’t you see? Can’t you see what he’s offering you if you just let him go?”

  She stared at him. His blond hair was loose and catching in the wind. His amber eyes were just as beautiful in the pale light provided by the stars—stars he was so unfamiliar with. Stars that matched his scar. His lips rested just slightly apart as he watched her, waiting for her to see. He was perfect. But he wasn’t Falco. She grabbed him into a tight embrace. She held him tightly and hugged him with closed eyes, completely trustful of him in his strong, capable arms.

  She understood what he meant. Falco was offering her a life, with her son, with her kin, and with Kohl. He was trying to make the decision for her that he had thought she struggled to make for herself.

  Finally, she let go of Kohl, knowing what she was letting go. She wouldn’t let Falco decide for her. She chose him. She would always choose him. It had never been, nor would it ev
er be, Kohl. “Thank you.”

  * * * *

  Jessop found Falco alone in their tent, sitting in the dark, as though he was waiting for her. She crossed the space with ease, her expert eyes navigating the shadows as they had done for so many years. “You think if you die, I’ll just live out my life with Kohl. That I’d raise Jeco with him?” She knelt before him, locking eyes with him.

  “You would be happy. He would keep Jeco safe. And he’d love you, for the rest of his life.”

  “And I would love you for the rest of mine.”

  “Jessop—”

  “Don’t. Just don’t. I choose you.”

  They sat in silence. They stared at one another and remembered everything that had ever come to pass between them. They sat for hours. She thought about him and his offer and about Kohl and their goodbye. For that was what it had been—a goodbye. They had done it all, felt it all, and there was nothing left to say between them. Falco had offered them the chance to be together, without repercussion, and she knew with certainty that she didn’t want it.

  “I kissed him.”

  “I know.”

  “I had to.”

  “I know.”

  Dawn approached and so did the threat of battle. Urdo had gone to ready the troops. It seemed the Bakoran army would arrive in Haren’dul Daku at first light if Falco did not surrender to Octayn and Hydo. She thought of seeing Calis and the others once again. She thought of their anger and of her own. She thought of what Octayn had said about their children. Her brothers had lives—they were married with children and had been raised to love Hydo and to fight to rule. She was supposed to have been raised as one of them.

  She thought of Falco’s arm, and of Hydo’s, and what the battle would bring. She did not wish to find her brothers in the field, but she knew she likely would. She knew if they tried to fight her or Falco, they would die. She thought of Hanson and wondered who would be the first to find him. Perhaps Urdo? Perhaps Korend’a or Trax, if Korend’a had returned by then. Korend’a had the skill to fight Hanson. She realized as she thought it, he may have had the skill but he did not have the Sentio. She remembered how Aranthol had fallen. Not all possessed Sentio, and it would be their weakness in battle with older Hunters.