by RG Long
“Keep an eye on both of them then, Serinde.” he said gruffly.
Serinde nodded and adjusted her pack. She looked over her shoulder to the sound of a sniff, and Ealrin looked to see that Olma appeared to be doing her best to keep her bottom lip from quivering.
Serinde got down on one knee and, taking both of the girl’s hands in her own, spoke kindly to her.
“Thank you,” she said to her.
“For what?” Olma asked. Ealrin was surprised to see such a tender moment passing between the two.
“For teaching me that not all who follow your religion are bad people,” Serinde answered. “We will see each other again.”
“Where do we set our meeting place?” she asked, standing back up and looking at Holve.
“I would love to say somewhere off of the beaten path of Ladis and outside the campaign of Isol,” he answered. “But I don’t know if that’s going to be possible.”
He stroked his chin for a moment before answering.
“Yada will bring her troops this way before long. I don’t doubt that she will try to overtake every single city in Ladis. Let’s plan to meet in the easternmost kingdom. If memory serves me right, there is a fishing community there called Blue Springs. It should be off the beaten path enough.”
“A month from today?” Serinde asked looking up at the full moon. Holve followed her gaze.
He nodded.
“Two, just in case. Don’t wait for us more than a week. If something should delay you,” Holve said, looking at Barton with a quick glance. “Try to find passage back to Irradan on your own. I think the Brewers would always be glad for company.”
They all nodded at one another before heading off.
“Have fun babysitting,” Silverwolf said as she turned her back towards them, walking south. “Be careful to stay close to the larger rocks, like stumpy.”
Barton didn’t say a word as he followed after the assassin. Serinde gave them all a nod before heading after the pair of them. They walked so quietly that Ealrin lost track of their footfalls in breaths.
“There’s a sour bunch,” Gorplin said, grumbling still.
“I like Miss Wolf,” Jurrin said sulkily. “Where are we off to then Mr. Holve?”
“Follow me,” Holve said. “We’ll talk on the way.”
THE CITY OF PROMMUS sat on the edge of a mountain range. Ealrin was sure there was a strategic advantage to this. There would be no need to worry about invaders coming from the north. Massive walls insured most armies could not invade from the east or west. The most vulnerable part of the city was its main entrance, the Southgate.
From this vantage point, Ealrin could look down and see the opening to the huge city. The city of Prommus went up into the mountains, its imperial palace and temple being the highest points. They were now making their way around the temple and palace to the north. It would be impossible or insanity for an army to attack the city from this way, or to even attempt to go around.
But it was certainly possible for a small band of travelers to make their way through. Potentially, they would even be undetectable.
The only one Ealrin was concerned for was little Olma. He had been worried that the journey would be too difficult for her, but she was proving to be quite the hearty traveler. She and Jurrin kept up a near constant stream of conversation, talking about the view of the city, the guards who had chased them, and where they might be heading next. It did make the time pass by.
“You used to live in the jungle, right, Miss Olma?” the halfling asked. “Must’ve been exciting. What with all the lizards and such running around. I don’t think I could’ve handled it.”
“Actually it was mostly calm,” she answered as she pulled herself over a rocky overhang.
“There were panthers every now and then,” she said as an afterthought.
“What’s a panther?” Jurrin asked excitedly. “We never had anything like that in Big Tree.”
Olma giggled. It had been the first time Ealrin had heard her laugh, really laugh, since they had taken her with them. It made him smile.
“Your little village was just one large tree? How big was it? Did you all live in tree houses?”
“Now, now, little missy,” Jurrin answered, shaking his finger. “We’re much more civilized than that. We dug into the ground for our homes!”
Ealrin shook his head at the banter. He wasn’t sure if he enjoyed the quiet or their conversation more. So far, their journey had not been difficult. Gorplin was at the head of the group, using his mastery as a difficult terrain mover and innate abilities as a son of the earth to find the best trails and places to put their feet.
By virtue of that, they were on a path much higher up in the cliffs than Ealrin would have ever attempted. He found their way unobstructed, however, and easy to walk. So far, their journey had not been difficult.
Whether Gorplin had known this path was here by virtue of the landscape or if he had just been able to feel out the location, Ealrin was very impressed with the dwarf. Holve took up the rear of their group, urging Jurrin and Olma along. Gorplin, Ealrin, and Blume walked at the front.
The suns had long since risen and were approaching the midday point. Ealrin’s stomach rumbled, but he knew better than to ask for food or a break. He had traveled through difficult circumstances before and knew that food must be found, caught, or killed before they resorted to pulling it out of their packs.
“Halt,” Gorplin grunted, putting up his hand for them to stop. Ealrin couldn’t see any problem ahead. The trail looked exactly like what their feet still stood on.
The dwarf, however, sniffed the air, cocked his head to one side, and swore in some language Ealrin didn’t understand. He could still feel the general idea, though.
Something was wrong.
Blume peeked out from behind him.
“Is everything okay, Gorplin?” she asked.
Ealrin could tell there was a hint of concern in her voice. He wasn’t sure how much Blume enjoyed being this high up.
“What is it?” Holve asked from the back of the line.
Gorplin grunted his response.
“Bah. Ground’s getting ready to shift,” he said. “It’ll be unstable up ahead.”
“Is it unworkable?” Holve asked. Ealrin couldn’t tell from the sound of his voice how much this new information bothered him.
“Hard to tell,” Gorplin said.
“Will we have to go back down?” Ealrin asked. He saw Gorplin look over his shoulder back at the considerable trail they had crossed.
“I don’t think it would be wise to cross so close to Prommus again,” Holve answered for him.
They had been able to see some guard activity along the walls of the city. It was hard to tell, but it seemed as if there were more of them than when they had first traveled into the city.
Were they looking for their escaped prisoners? Or were they just preparing for the oncoming invasion?
“I’d really prefer...”
Whatever Holve’s preference was became immaterial very quickly.
From what Ealrin could tell, several things happened at once. Gorplin stuck his foot out just a little further to test the ground. Olma leaned in close to get a better view, which made Jurrin stumble forward. Whether it was one incident or the other, or a combination of the two, the world began to fall.
Ealrin grabbed onto Blume and to Gorplin as they began to slide down the mountain. Dust and dirt and rocks were everywhere. All of this blew into his face, but Ealrin dared not protect himself with his hands and lose his grip on his two companions.
The falling stopped suddenly. Ealrin felt the air knocked from his lungs and a jarring pain in his back. Coughing and gasping for a breath of air that didn’t come with a mouthful of dust, Ealrin was only able to choke out a few syllables.
“Gorplin? Blume?”
For a moment there was no answer, save for the echoing sound of falling rocks. Ealrin began to fear that his friends had been lost. But then w
hat was he holding onto? Feeling began to flood his body again.
He had managed to hold onto one of his friends, but his other hand was free.
“Blume?” he choked again.
A very raspy coughing sound answered him.
“Ow,” she said, groaning a little. “Next time, I’ll walk.”
Ealrin breathed a sigh of relief as he heard her speak. She sounded okay. But where was everyone else? And had the castle seen the dust and rocks from the mountain?
He struggled to move his legs, but managed to get himself free. It was mostly small rocks and dirt that he was stuck in. The ledge that Gorplin had been concerned about had continued to roll quite a ways down the mountain side.
They couldn’t have fallen for a very long time. Now that the dust around them had begun to settle, the view of Prommus didn’t look much different.
Ealrin heard the ledge crash against another pile of boulders down below and the sound echoed all over the mountain.
Then a new noise began to fill his ears. It was in the sound of moving dirt, crashing rocks, and a very angry, swearing dwarf. Then something else. Something stranger. It sounded like fire. But there was nothing around them that could burn. Yet with each breath he took, the suns began to grow darker. Their light began to fade away
The very air became chill.
Ealrin turned his head and saw three cat-like creatures crawling slowly towards them down the mountain. Each one of them was wrapped in purple flames.
Demons.
Jurrin and Gorplin had talked about these. They had seen them on the plains of Beaton. They were vicious and strong. They were also heading their way. Ealrin scrambled through the dirt, trying to lift Blume out of the dust herself.
“Gorplin!” he cried, looking everywhere for the dwarf. He didn’t see him.
Blume was groaning but still attempting to get moving. He hated to ask it of her since she had not gotten much rest or food, but it looked like they would be needing her magic very soon.
“Got any spells up your sleeve?” he asked, hoping she would say no and praying she was wrong.
Her gasp did not relieve him.
“Where’s my ring?” she asked, feeling her hand and searching around frantically, dust flying from her hair.
That was bad. The demons were inching closer towards them now, and Ealrin felt the air grow chiller. Pulling his sword from its sheath on his back, Ealrin suddenly felt extremely inadequate to handle the situation.
Gorplin was missing. Blume had no ring to cast spells for him. All he had was a stolen sword that was in serious need of sharpening. And three demon felines the size of horses were heading their way.
“Try to find the thing,” Ealrin told Blume as he let go of her arm and tried to steady himself on the rocks. It was no small task. The debris and dirt were still settling from the landslide and his feet kept slipping. By comparison, the inflamed demons walked lightly down the mountain, almost as if they weren’t walking on the same surface as Ealrin.
Then a rock came flying from above them and landed right on the head of one of the demons. It let out a terrible roar of pain. Its companions both looked up to see where the projectile had come from. Ealrin wanted to know, too.
“Have another one!” came a shout from above. Jurrin shoved another rock off a cliff he was standing on and heaved it down towards the group of demons. The second one missed, but now the beasts were distracted. Ealrin saw his chance.
Slipping forward and trying to keep his balance, he made his way towards the cats. If he could get to the one that was stunned, they would have one less beast to worry over.
A third rock came flying down at them. It hit one of the cats in the leg as it tried to dodge it. The boulder nearly hit Ealrin as he sidestepped its path.
Taking his sword in hand and making sure Blume was still behind him, searching for her Rimstone, he held up his blade and approached the first stunned cat. It was still shaking its head and the flames that covered its body were flickering out. Underneath these flames, the beast had dark, leathery skin. The demon looked like it was going to stumble down again, unaware of how close he was. Ealrin saw his chance, adjusted his grip on his sword and stabbed.
Just as his sword plunged into the demon’s body, another one of the cats leapt over its fallen brother and lunged at Ealrin. Ealrin pulled his sword free and stumbled backwards, the incline of the cliff and unsteadiness of his footing getting the better of him.
The two fell back together. Ealrin felt the odd sensation of searing coldness the purple flames created against his body as sharp claws came ever closer to his chest. Holding out his sword, he pressed it towards the demon’s ribs. If it had a heart, Ealrin’s sword would pierce it.
The demon landed on its back, sliding down the cliff. The momentum of their spinning helped Ealrin drive his sword downward. Just as he saw the tip of his blade enter into the body of the demon, a brilliant flash of purple light erupted and he felt the blast throw him several paces. He landed in a heap amongst the rubble.
He groaned and tried to lift up his head, but the world was spinning. All he could see was purple. All he could feel was a chill in the air. There was a scream. Another blast of light. Then Ealrin let his head hit the ground.
He closed his eyes, and everything went dark.
16: For King and Kin
His dreams were scattered and chaotic. At once he felt hot. Then he remembered shaking and cold sweat. He was floating through a blackness. He was lying down on rocks.
He could see vast stars and planets spinning in the heavens. The moons of Gilia and the suns that give their world light encircled him. He wasn’t on the solid ground. He was floating and there was nothing to grab onto, nothing to keep him from falling.
He felt that awful chill again and heard the rumble of fire. It was coming from behind him. He desperately wanted to see what it was, and at the same time desired nothing more than to run away. Every step he took was through nothingness. There was no ground to run on or walls to push off of. And all the while the sound of flames grew closer.
In the depths of his mind, he heard a terrible, haunting laugh.
His eyes flew open and he shot up. Several sensations hit him at once. His eyes hurt due to what seemed a blinding light and he shut them to keep out the pain. But he was on solid ground. Definitely solid. One hand felt his coat laid out beneath him. The other shielded his eyes and rubbed his head. It hurt immensely.
“Can you wake up out of being unconscious a little more gracefully?” a voice he recognized asked him. “Actually, that was really traumatic to see you pop up like that.”
He groaned. His head ached terribly and he felt like every part of his body was sore.
“What happened?” he asked groggily.
A soft chuckle sounded right next to him. He recognized that voice, too.
“Well, Blume found her ring and basically saved all of our lives by blowing up half the mountain,” Holve said. “We’re actually in a cave her explosion uncovered for us. But it won’t be long before the guards at Prommus come this way. If they can make it through the rubble. We were waiting for you to wake up.”
Ealrin eased his eyes open. It was no small feat. His head was pounding. Gorplin, Holve, and Blume sat around a small fire. That must have been the blinding light. Though it flickered feebly, every flame pounded against Ealrin’s head. They were inside a cave whose ceiling would prevent him from standing up to his full height. Just outside, he could see the stars beginning to peek through a darkening sky.
He sighed.
How long had he been unconscious for?
Adjusting his gaze back to the people around him, he saw that they looked a little scratched and banged up, but no worse for the wear.
“What made those beasts come after us?” he asked. He already knew what they were. Demons. They had encountered these and worse before.
Then a terrible thought came to him. What if there were more heading their way? He looked out again at the sky
and strained to see any trails of purple flame. They had come that way before.
“Peace,” Holve said. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing a major attack from them. Yet.”
The last word he added with a certain bit of anxiety in his voice. Ealrin felt it.
“Do you think they’re coming back?” Blume asked, bringing her knees to her chest.
“Bah,” Gorplin said, running a thumb along his stolen sword. “Let them come. I’ve dealt with their kind before.”
“We all have,” Holve said. “But I would like to keep from inviting them here if we can.”
That made Ealrin rub his head and put the question that he had been thinking to Holve.
“What makes them come?” he asked.
Holve sighed and poked at the small fire with his stick. Several sparks flew up and floated out through the cave entrance.
“Bloodshed and war seem to do it,” Holve answered. “That’s what made them come to Ruyn. I hadn’t seen that many suffer at the hands of men in a long time. During that...”
He paused for a moment, staring into the flames. Shaking himself, he recovered.
“That time that I was gone,” he finished, his voice flat. “I saw many of them. On the Dark Comet. They exist there.”
“You mean they live on that thing?” Blume asked, looking puzzled.
“I don’t think ‘live’ is quite the right term,” Holve answered. “Nothing lives there. It just exists.”
“And blood makes them come here?” Gorplin asked, his eyes furrowed. “Bah. Seems like the darkest of magic.”
“I don’t disagree,” Holve said. “It’s like a bridge from the Dark Comet to Gilia. One that I fear will be more and more open as this conflict increases.”
“But why hasn’t it happened before?” Ealrin asked. “How long has that comet been in the sky?”
“A long while,” Holve answered. “But never this close. I suppose that has something to do with it.”
“Where did it come from?” Blume asked, her eyes on the fire. “And how can we get rid of it?”
