Dawn of the Hunters

by Ryan Wieser

  “Jessop…”

  “Don’t. Don’t say anything.” She refused to hear his cautionary goodbye. She spun her sword about her once and turned, her body igniting in a ferocious fire that traveled down her arm, over her blade, as she stormed towards the Bakora army. A wild scream from the desert creatures followed as they charged after her. She didn’t know their abilities, she didn’t know their skill, she didn’t know how long Dezane and Teck could give them life—but she knew this was their only shot.

  Kohl ran at her side, his powerful legs leaping over fallen Bakora, his Sentio, like hers, sending Fire-Wielders back. They met the second line with a violent crash—the hiss of the desert creatures was deafening as they cut through the Bakora army. Jessop spun about, cutting and carving, in the mess of fire and sand. She lost Kohl in the madness. As Bakora cut through the desert creatures, they exploded like sand storms. They could kill, but they could also be easily destroyed.

  Jessop kicked a soldier back, unsheathed her short blade, and used her abilities to send the weapon flying into his chest before returning to her hand. She spun and ducked, punched and sliced, her ears ringing in resistance to the violent sounds of war. Several paces away, she saw Calis—he was skilled with his blade, fighting back several desert sand versions of Jessop with ease.

  Suddenly, she heard Falco in the distance, ordering his assault. She couldn’t see him, but she heard the wild calls of his soldiers. Though Jessop could only see several paces surrounding her, the battle rippled back, soldiers falling and sand flying, as a great attack was made at the sides of the fight. Falco and Trax, along with Urdo and Korend’a, had entered the battlefield, leading the Kuroi warriors and Falco’s army. Jessop felt a strong hand grab her shoulder and spun, elbowing her attacker firmly in the face, ignoring the pain of her bone connecting with a gilded helmet. She flipped her short blade in her hand, pointing the hilt towards her chest and extending the small weapon out of her fist, ready to strike, when she realized it was one of the brothers.

  They both froze. Her flames extinguished as she studied his face. He had no scars but he also did not have a look of fear in his eyes—he had been trained to fight all his life. His hands, wrapped tightly around his hilt, burned with a low blue flame. And without saying a word, they turned from one another, carrying on their battle without engaging each other.

  She ducked under the arm of a Fire-Wielder, coming up behind him and cutting him down without hesitation. The sand creatures were beginning to die out. The battle was already, after such brief moments, beginning to ebb. She could see Falco in the distance, fighting several Bakora at once. He fought with the Blade of Light and Jessop froze at the sight. The Bakora screamed at the site of the weapon. Any Fire within the immediate vicinity of the Blade of Light was instantly extinguished. That was what made it a weapon against the Fire-Wielders. Jessop made her way towards him, blocking and parrying, shooting her small blade out and calling it back to her with Sentio, instantly thankful she had decided not to take the weapon from Falco.

  She heard the sound of the blade cutting through the thick, sandy air, just in time. She blocked right before it struck her neck, spun, and kicked the attacker in the jaw. She took another step, ready to throw her short blade, when it was pulled from her hand with Sentio. She narrowed her gaze, and as the sand began to settle, her green eyes fixed on him. His long hair tied back, he still wore his Hunter’s vest.

  “Hanson Knell. I’ve been waiting for this.” She curved her sword about her as she descended on him.

  He moved with surprising speed, their swords connecting with a violent force. She roundhouse kicked him with such might she could feel his ribs breaking. He backhanded her, quick to use Sentio to call her discarded short blade from the ground and hurl it at her side. She bent out of its way as fast as she could, but not fast enough, the weapon reopening the side wound Hydo had inflicted on her. They both ignored their injuries, bringing down heavy sword strokes on one another without hesitation, their moves filled with anger.

  “You ruined the Blade— you ruined Kohl!”

  She bent back, ducking as the blade moved over her. “You took my son!” She threw her hand back and punched through the air, using her Sentio to send him soaring back.

  Suddenly, a blade was on her throat. She grabbed the hand that held it and with all her might, lurched it forward, ducking low, her attacker flipping over her strong body. His landing was messy and he turned with one shoulder tucked tightly against his body—Hydo Jesuin.

  Jessop could not fight them both. She scanned the fray, her eyes darting over the battle and back to Hydo and Hanson.

  “Falco!”

  Jessop barely got the scream out before Hanson tackled her to the ground. She kicked him off of her, and they rolled over the mess of broken weapons and fallen soldiers. She punched his face and exposed neck, pinning him down with Sentio and using all her might as she hit him again and again. It didn’t take long for Hydo to descend on her, kicking her with a violent force. She flew off Hanson, rolling back, but was quick to her feet. She focused and called her sword back to her, having dropped it in the melee.

  As the hilt found her hand, she circled the weapon about her, ready for their attack. Hydo and Hanson stood side by side, walking towards her slowly. She saw Falco far behind them, fighting to reach her, facing onslaught after onslaught. Jessop knew Sentio was her best option—she would hold them back for as long as possible.

  The fire burned her instantly, the sting of the whip sharp as it wrapped around her arms. She let out a wild scream as the flames licked her arms. She saw Axis in her periphery—the youngest of Hydo’s sons. She could see Hydo screaming at him, but she couldn’t make out his words. She focused, using her Sentio to pull the whip from her body. The pain was excruciating as the metal recoiled and fell loose to the ground. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

  “Falco!”

  She focused on her breathing, on her sword hand, on her Sentio. Falco would heal her burns. She just needed to hold them off.

  She could see them before her. Her arms were burned. It took all her might to tighten her grip around the hilt of her blade. She tried to close her eyes to focus on her Sentio, to hold them back, but every time she shut them she could feel the flames once more. Her side was bleeding heavily now.

  “Falco.” She wanted it to be a scream, but it was a whisper. She looked down her arm. Her shoulders were burned. Her vest had protected much of her chest, but her forearms were covered in the lines where the whip had wrapped around her and trailed Axis’s fire. He had such anger for her.

  “You took the Blade from us.”

  She couldn’t tell if it was Hydo speaking or Hanson. She tried to look up to see, but sand and bright sky blinded her. She heard the sword swinging through the air. She had failed. She closed her eyes. She could see, in her mind, Falco and Jeco. He would prevail, she knew. He would rescue their son.

  She lowered her head back down. She could hear his heavy swing.

  The sword clashed with the blade of another. She fell back, startled. Before her was Urdo. He moved, wild and strong, hitting Hydo’s blade back with attack after attack, forcing his former leader and oldest friend back from Jessop. Hydo fought with one arm as best as he could, using his Sentio and speed to evade his friend’s assaults. Urdo was a truly gifted fighter, but even with his dominant arm broken, Hydo was masterful with a blade.

  She rolled to her side, her hand dropping her blade to clutch her bleeding cut. She glanced back to the fight. Hydo and Hanson both fought Urdo. They yelled at one another with every angry strike and vicious block. Urdo threw his weight around, forcing Hydo and Hanson to stay on the defense best he could. As Jessop fought to sit upright, Hydo threw Urdo to the ground with his mind.

  Hanson stepped on Urdo’s blade. “You’re a traitor. We’re your brothers!”

  Jessop could feel the blood from her side flowing fast
er. “Falco!”

  Hydo brought his sword down with an angry, sharp cry.

  Jessop scrambled to get to her feet, needing to get to Urdo, tears welling in her eyes. Hanson raised his own blade, ready to finish what Hydo had started. “Falco!”

  She tightened her hand around her blade, using it as a tool to help her stand. She pushed herself up and stumbled forward. Suddenly, a strong body tackled Hanson to the ground—Kohl.

  Jessop took step after step towards Hydo, her body burned, her eyes stinging. She saw Axis reappear in her periphery and she flung her arm out violently, sending him flying back. She staggered forward, moving towards Hydo and Urdo fast as she could. She saw Falco, fighting to get there in time. Hydo raised his sword once more, towering over Urdo.

  “No!” Jessop ignored the blinding pain and ran—she ran and tripped over bodies and weapons. She threw her arms out before her. In that moment, she saw her parents, she saw the fire, she saw Falco as a boy ...She fell at Urdo’s side, her Sentio throwing Hydo back.

  She watched as he soared through the air. With a second push from Jessop, Hydo fell at the feet of Falco. She looked to her husband, who turned his gaze from her to his mentor, and without hesitation, without final words or grand movements, Falco snapped his neck, dropping Hydo’s lifeless body on the desert battlefield. He was finally gone.

  Jessop wrapped her arms around Urdo, stroking his face. There was blood everywhere. She held his head tight against her chest, and whatever pain she had felt at her injuries paled in comparison to seeing him suffer.

  “Falco!”

  Korend’a and Trax had surrounded Falco and fought her brothers back, keeping them at bay so Falco could make his way to Urdo. He knelt at Urdo’s side, his hands slipping in blood as he tried to cover the wounds he needed to heal.

  She saw Calis. She saw the eldest, staring at her as if she had somehow betrayed them, and the youngest, fighting with a rage that hindered his abilities. Korend’a and Trax held them back, Trax’s Sentio superior enough to throw them back if they tried to use their fire, and Korend’a skill with a blade too great for any of them. Calis was pulling Axis back, yelling at them to retreat, shouting that they had lost this war.

  Jessop let her gaze fall back to Urdo. His eyes were glossy. He was half smiling at her. She stroked his hair back softly. She thought of how he had trained her—how he had been the only one to teach her how to truly be a Hunter. She thought of the battle in Aranthol, when he had charged ahead to protect her. She had come so close to death and he had thrown his body before her.

  “You saved me.” Her voice broke on her tears.

  Falco focused, his eyes shut as he tried to heal Urdo’s wounds. But Jessop knew. Urdo knew. He grabbed Falco’s hand, shaking his head just slightly. He was dying. He turned his gaze back to Jessop. His breathing was strained. He reached up with a weak hand and pulled her hand to his face. He kissed the back of her fingers. “I’d do it all over again if I had to.”

  She felt his final breath, a warm gasp, as it rolled over her fingertips. She buckled forward, her forehead resting on his. She could hear the battle ending in violence all around her. She could hear the sound of death. She could smell it.

  She knew that as she held Urdo, Falco healed her wounds. She knew she needed to get up. She needed to let him go. Don’t let my brothers return to Bakoran. She pushed the thought to Falco. She knew they couldn’t leave, not before she had Jeco. Falco hesitated and she leaned up to look at him. He was covered in blood. His hair stood on end. His eyes were swollen with the tears he fought back.

  “Go.” She knew that Falco would ensure they remained in Haren’dul Daku. She clutched Urdo tightly, struggling to let him go when the sound of an agonizing wail froze her heart.

  She lurched up, snapping her head around to see Kohl. He had his forearm locked around Hanson’s neck. The older man buckled, his knees falling deep in the sand. He hit Kohl’s arms, he tried reaching back for his face, but he had no power left—he was bruised and beaten. Jessop watched the tears stream down Kohl’s face as he tightened his hold on his mentor. Hanson’s hands clung to his arm, pulling with all his remaining might.

  Kohl leaned his head against his mentor’s, as though he were trying to say goodbye. Hanson’s hands finally fell from Kohl’s forearms. Kohl sucked sharply on air, tears falling freely, as he released Hanson’s lifeless body, letting him fall to the ground. As Hanson collapsed on the sand, Jessop saw what his struggling body had hidden. Hanson’s blade stuck in Kohl’s body.

  She leapt from Urdo’s side and grabbed Kohl before he could fall. “Falco!” She screamed as loud as she could. She leaned Kohl back in her arms. All around her bodies were burning. Sand was blackened by the fire of the Bakora army. Kuroi were dead. Falco’s soldiers were dead. The sand creatures were gone. The Bakora had lost the war—but few Daharians remained standing.

  She looked down to Kohl. He had a large cut down his face, similar to Falco’s, and his hands were shaking as they clung to her. She stroked his cheek, smudging blood over his skin. “You’ll be fine.”

  He pulled on her, trembling. “Please let me go. Please.” His request was barely audible, his whisper scarcely reaching her.

  She shook her head. Her tears fell on his face, streaking the blood. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, rocking back and forth. “Never.”

  She sensed Falco at her side. She refused to move, knowing that he would need to remove the blade from Kohl’s body before healing him, knowing he needed her to hold him still in the process. She tightened her strong body around his, kissing his forehead again and again, as if rocking his pain away. He screamed as Falco pulled Hanson’s blade free. His blood and tears felt slick against her.

  She continued to rock him, to kiss his face and wipe his blood away, as Falco fixed his wounds. He hadn’t heard Kohl’s dark request. He didn’t know that he was saving his best friend when his best friend no longer wished to live. And Jessop wouldn’t ever tell him. She knew Falco both loved and hated Kohl enough that, if given the right opportunity, he would have let him die.

  * * * *

  Jessop and Falco traveled with the Void-Voyager, who had remained safely hidden away with Mar’e, to Bakoran. By traveling with them, he ensured they would have a secure way to return to Daharia. Jessop couldn’t speak. She could barely think clearly. Dezane and Teck had both died—their final act of bravery had drained them. On their bodies there had been no sword marks and no burns; they had simply perished with the sand army they’d created. Hode Avay was burned beyond recognition, though Falco had done what he could to help. Korend’a, who would live the rest of his life half blind from injury and with a bad leg, told him again and again that the scarring was not bad.

  Trax had laid Urdo beside his father and Teck. While survivors were being moved into the Soar-Craft and tended to by the fortunate unwounded, he prepared the bodies for a rightful goodbye. Kohl had healed completely under Falco’s ability, and said nothing about wishing he could have died. He had moved Hanson and Hydo to a different place—they would not burn with the true Hunters. With a handful of remaining soldiers, Kohl watched over Jessop’s brothers, allowing them to mourn their father.

  The Voyager had landed them directly at Octayn’s palace, but before them was a giant blue wall of fire. She knew it would not harm her. But Falco was not a Fire-Wielder, and she imagined the blue flames had been designed to keep Daharians out.

  She took Falco’s hand in hers. “Stay here, with the Voyager.”

  Her voice was different. Strained.

  “But—”

  “You cannot pass through these flames, Falco.”

  She turned and made her way up the white stone steps. The palace seemed abandoned. The grand corridors were empty, the gilded doorways devoid of guards. The beautiful retreat was completely silent. She knew nothing of the palace, but somehow she navigated it with confidence. She was
covered in ash and sand and blood, and she trekked through a place of pristine white stone and golden accents.

  She turned down a hallway, stepping over small streams of water that seemed to travel throughout the palace. She carried on down the hall, walking past golden door after golden door. As she moved past one doorway, she felt an eerie chill seize her. She stopped and immediately entered the room.

  The space was completely barren except for a giant golden box centered in the room. She walked to it and let her hand run over its intricate design. It was icy cold to the touch. She could see that the designs told some kind of story. She tried to follow it, to make out the vague, golden images. There was a child and two adults. The adults were lying down in the next image. There was the wild curve of a fire. There was another man and then a woman. In the next carving, there was a man wearing a crown. Then there was the image of a fire with a sword through it. The final carving showed the woman with the crown.

  “Emperor Ozea Oredan’s tomb.” Octayn’s voice filled the room. Jessop looked up from the gilded coffin and saw her standing in the doorway, a sleeping Jeco in her arms, his chest rising and falling slowly as he rested peacefully with her.

  “My uncle killed Hydo’s family. I killed him for Hydo.”

  “Give me my son,” she ordered, locking her eyes on Octayn. She had been crying.

  “He’s dead, isn’t he? Hydo…”

  Jessop nodded slowly as Octayn’s tears began to fall freely.

  “And my sons?”

  Jessop felt her anger somehow abate, ever so slightly, seeing the woman in such pain.

  “They live. All of them.”

  Her green eyes widened with shock. “Thank you.”

  Jessop reached out, opening her arms and cueing Octayn to hand Jeco to her. There would be no fight between them—Octayn knew better than that.

  Octayn kissed his head, a final goodbye. “It was never meant to be like this. I thought ...We thought it would be different.”